ft    JL£ 


THE  NEW  JAMAICA 


DESCRIBING    THE   ISLAND,   EXPLAINING  ITS  CONDITIONS 
OF  LIFE  AND  GROWTH  AND  DISCUSSING  ITS  HER- 
CANTILE    RELATIONS   AND    POTENTIAL     IM- 
PORTANCE:     ADDING      SOMEWHAT     IN 
RELATION    TO    THOSE    MATTERS 
WHICH  DIRECTL  Y  INTEREST 
THE  TOURIST  AND  THE 
HEALTH  SEEKER. 


BY 

EDGAR  MAYHEW  BACON 

AND 

EUGENE  MURRAY  AARON,  PH.D. 


ILLUSTRATED    BY  THE   AUTHORS   AFTER   ORIGINAL  SKETCHES   AND   FROM   PHOTOGRAPHS 
TAKEN    BY    DR.   JAS.    JOHNSTONE   AND    OTHERS. 


NEW  YORK 
WALBRIDGE  &  CO. 


KINGSTON 
ASTON  W.  GARDNER  &  CO. 

MDCCCXC 


PRESERVATION 
COPY  ADDED 
ORIGINAL  TO  BE 
RETAINED 

rJAN  2  1  1993 


COPYRIGHT,  1890,  BY 
EDGAR  M.  BACON 


GIFT 


THE    MACKENZIE    PRESS 

WALBRIDGE    A.    CO 

17-23    VANOEWATER     ST. 

NEW    YORK 


TO 
LADY   BLAKE 

WE    RESPECTFULLY    DEDICATE    THIS     WORK;     KNOWING     THAT 

EVERY   JAMAICAN    WILL    ENVY    US    OUR 

OPPORTUNITY. 


£721  it 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

PREFACE,  ........    vii 

INTRODUCTION,  .  .  .  •  •  .  .     ix 

^HISTORY  OF  JAMAICA,        ....  .  i 

LATER  DAYS,     .  -  .  .  .  .  .  .25 

CLIMATE,       .  .  .  34 

COMMERCIAL  LIFE  AND  RELATIONS,  .  .  .  .42 

THE  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION,     ....  47 

A  CITY  UNDER  THE  SUN,      ....  .54 

PORT  ROYAL,  .  .  .  .  .  .66 

ALONG  THE  RAILWAY,  ....  .73 

SANTIAGO  DE  LA  VEGA,      ......         86 

HALF-WAY  TREE  AND  CONSTANT  SPRING,   .  .93 

STONY  HILL  AND  CASTLETON,     .....        101 

IN  THE  HILLS,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .107 

AN  EARLY  START,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .125 

ON  THE  WINDWARD  ROAD,  .  .  .  .  .129 

BATH  AND  MANCHIONEAL,  .....        140 

IN  PORTLAND — PORT  ANTONIO,         .....  146 

THE  DISTRICT  OF  ST.  GEORGE,    .  .  .  .  .160 

FROM  BUFF  BAY  TO  THE  ROARING  RIVER,  .  .  .167 

ST.  ANN'S  BAY,       .......        179 

FALMOUTH  AND  VICINAGE,     .  .  .  .  .  .190 

MONTEGO  BAY,        .  .  .  .  .  .  •        193 

IN  HANOVER  AND  WESTMORELAND,  .  .  .  .197 

ST.  ELIZABETH — THE  SANTA  CRUZ  MOUNTAINS,  .  .        202 

THE  HOME  STRETCH,    .......  207 

^TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION,  .  .  .        212 

POSTAL  AND  TELEGRAPH  FACILITIES,  .  .  .  .219 

•  PUBLIC  WORKS,       .  .  .  .  .  ...       222 

GOVERNMENT  REVENUE  AND  THE  CUSTOM  HOUSE,  .  .  226 

EXCHANGE,  COINS,  ETC.,     ......        228 

CONCLUSION,      ........  230 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FRONTISPIECE.    Rio  COBRE  FROM  RAILWAY  BRIDGE. 
RUINS  ON  SUGAR  ESTATE:  MOONLIGHT,  .  .  i 

REMAINS  OF  SPANISH  GOVERNOR'S  HOUSE,  .  .  -4 

CAGE  USED  FOR  EXECUTING  SLAVES,     ....  8 

OLD  SUGAR  MILL,  CONSTANT  SPRING,        .  .  .  .19 

ROCK  FORT,  .  .  .  .  .  •   .         26 

VIEW  FROM  KINGSTON,  .  .  .54 

KINGSTON  HARBOR,  .  .  .  .          63 

KINGSTON,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .56 

BELL  OF  OLD  CHURCH,  PORT  ROYAL,    ....          66 

PORT  ROYAL,     .  .  .  .  .         •          .  .71 

CHURCH  AT  PORT  ROYAL,  .  .          72 

RAILWAY  TUNNEL,       .  .  .  .  .  .  -73 

AQUEDUCT  ON   SUGAR  ESTATE,    .....         77 

RAILWAY  BRIDGE,         .  .  .  .  .  .  .79 

OLD  HOUSE  AT  EWARTON,  .....         80 

TUNNEL  AT  BOG  WALK,         .  .  .  .  .  .83 

SPANISH  TOWN   CATHEDRAL,        ....  88 

CANAL,  Rio  COBRE,     .  .  .  .  .  ..          .90 

THE  Rio  COBRE,     .  .....          92 

NEGRO  HEAD  DRESS,  .  .  .  .  .  .93 

GOVERNOR  BLAKE  AND  FAMILY,  .  .  94 

ON  THE  ROAD,  MARKET  DAY,          .  .  .  .  .95 

HALF-WAY  TREE  CHURCH,  .....         97 

BANANA  PLANT,  .  .  .  .  101 

MONA  VALE  FROM  STONY  HILL,  ....        103 

PLEASANT,         .  .....  107 

IN  THE  HILLS,        .  .  .  .  .  .  .112 

PARASITES,          .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .115 

PEASANT  WOMEN,  .  .  .  .  .124 

JACOB'S  LADDER,          .  .  .  .  .  .130 

BOWDEN,  PORT  MORANT,    ......        136 

TRANSPORTING  RUM  AND  SUGAR,       .  .  .  .  .136 

PALMS  AT  BATH  GARDEN,  .  .  .  .142 

BATH,  ST.  THOMAS  YE  EAST,    .  .  .  .  .  .144 

COCOANUTS,  .  ....        154 

GOLDEN  VALE,  .  .  .156 

FISH  DONE  AT  SPRING  GARDEN,    .  .  .165 

WOMEN  AT  FORD,          .  .  168 

SPANISH  BRIDGE,  MAMMEE  RIVER,  .  .        177 

BUILDINGS  ON  SUGAR  ESTATE,  .  .  .  184 

ST.  ANN'S  BAY,         .  .  .186 

MR.  WESSEL'S  HOUSE,  .  .  187 

MONTEGO  BAY,        .  .194 

SANTA  CRUZ  MOUNTAINS,        .  .  205 


PREFACE. 


IN  offering  this  book  to  the  public  the  authors  wish 
to  acknowledge  the  many  courtesies  they  have  re- 
ceived from  Jamaicans,  and  the  efficient  aid  which  has 
been  given  them  in  the  labor  of  gathering  material  for 
it. 

If  the  accomplished  work  falls  short  of  the  expec- 
tations of  those  who  have  so  kindly  encouraged  its 
production,  we  can  but  say  that  from  a  mass  of  mate- 
rial we  have  tried  to  select  that  which  will  be  of  most 
value  and  interest  to  the  reader  ;  leaving  much  unap- 
propriated, not  because  the  treasure  is  small,  but 
because  our  vehicle  is  inadequate  to  carry  it  all. 

We  have  tried  especially  to  give  a  fair,  comprehen- 
sive, though  condensed,  account  of  Jamaica  as  it  is; 
its  present  life,  its  means  of  communication  and 
travel,  its  growing  commercial  outlook  and  its  intrinsic 
wealth. 

As  its  history  has  been  the  subject  of  a  cumulative 
literature,  treating  of  the  events  of  nearly  four  hun- 
dred years  of  unusual  interest,  it  will  be  seen  that  any 
attempt  to  condense  such  a  mass  of  material  to  the 
limit  of  two  or  three  chapters  must  be  prefaced  with 
apology  and  received  with  indulgence.  But  as  a 
knowledge  of  the  more  prominent  facts  and  conditions 


viii  Preface. 

of  the  older  time  are  necessary  to  a  clear  understanding 
of  the  present  life  and  promise  of  a  new  Jamaica,  we 
can  but  assure  our  readers  that  this  epitome  has  been 
as  honestly  and  fairly  prepared  as  possible. 

Among  the  authorities  consulted,  the  most  promi- 
nent are  Bryan  Edwards'  "  History  of  the  West 
Indies  ;  "  Chas.  Leslie's  "  New  Account  of  Jamaica  ;  " 
John  Esquemeling's  "History  of  the  Buccaneers;" 
Bridge's  "  Annals  of  Jamaica  ;  "  Washington  Irving's 
"  Life  of  Columbus  ;  "  Gardner's  "  History  of  Ja- 
maica ;  "  Montgomery  Martin's  "  History  of  the  Brit- 
ish  Colonies  ;  "  Rector  of  Port  Royal's  "  Narrative  ;  " 
several  recent  essays  and  magazine  papers,  and  the 
"  Hand-book  of  Jamaica."  Besides  these,  we  had 
access  to  the  records  and  reports  of  the  govern- 
ment printing  office,  kindly  placed  at  our  disposal ; 
and  various  pamphlets,  clippings  and  other  material, 
furnished  by  private  parties,  whose  names  we  would 
be  glad  to  publish  with  our  acknowledgment,  did 
courtesy  permit. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  approach  to  Jamaica,  whether  made  by  day  or 
night,  cannot  fail  to  interest  and  charm  the  traveller. 
He  must  indeed  be  a  blase  wanderer  who  can  view  the 
unfolding  beauty  of  its  mountains,  the  arboreal  display 
of  its  coasts  and  the  brighter  green  of  its  cultivations 
with  indifference.  Whether  he  first  lands  in  the  cen- 
tral regions  of  the  north  side,  following  the  example 
of  the  Genoese,  and  enjoys  the  garden  like  beauty  of 
St.  Ann's  ;  or  falls  among  the  bananas  of  Port  An- 
tonio ;  or  seeks  the  south  side  and  all  its  present  and 
historic  meaning,  he  is  sure  to  find  that  fulfilment 
keeps  pace  with  expectation. 

Beyond  the  light-houses  of  Morant,  and  the  foot- 
hills of  St.  Thomas  ye  East,  rise  the  cloudy  blue  sum- 
mits of  the  Eastern  Mountains,  the  highest  of  them 
7,350  feet  above  the  sea  level.  There  are  the  cocoa- 
nuts  in  long  ranks  upon  the  palisadoes,  and  among  a 
number  of  islets  and  capes  the  vessel  is  piloted  past 
the  sheltering  forts,  into  a  bay  that  has  been  enriched 
with  a  thousand  memories. 

Jamaica  lies  between  17°  42'  and  18°  31'  North 
Latitude.  Its  total  length  is  144  miles  and  its  great- 
est width  49  miles.  It  is  politically  divided  into  three 
counties — Cornwall,  Middlesex  and  Surrey,  which  are 
further  subdivided  into  fourteen  parishes. 


X  Introduction. 

There  are  over  thirty  large  bays  and  harbors,  the 
finest  being  Kingston,  Port  Antonio,  St.  Ann's  Bay, 
Montego  Bay,  Savana  la  Mar,  Lucea  and  Port  Mo- 
rant. 

The  present  government  of  the  island,  created  by  an 
order  in  council  by  her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria, 
dated  May  19,  1884,  consists  of  a  governor,  appointed 
by  the  crown,  and  a  council,  part  chosen  by  the  peo- 
ple and  part  serving  by  virtue  of  official  position. 
There  is,  first,  the  Privy  Council,  consisting  of  the 
Colonial  Secretary,  the  Attorney  General,  the  Director 
of  Public  Works  and  two  others. 

The  Legislative  Council,  of  which  the  governor  is 
president,  consists  of  the  senior  military  officer  in 
command  of  troops  on  the  island,  the  Colonial  Secre- 
tary, Director  of  Public  Works,  Attorney  General, 
Medical  Superintendent,  Inspector  of  Schools,  Collec- 
tor General  and  eight  elected  members. 

The  civil  establishment  includes  all  officers  and 
clerks  in  the  department,  enumerated  above.  The 
Judicial  department  consists  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
Administrator  General,  Island  Record  office,  Vice 
Admiralty  Court,  Kingston  Circuit  Court  and  resident 
magistrates  court. 

Between  1866  to  1885  the  governor  annually 
appointed  municipal  and  road  boards  as  well  as 
church  wardens.  But  since  the  latter  date  a  single 
parochial  board  for  each  parish  has  been  instituted 
whose  members,  thirteen  to  eighteen  in  number,  are 
elected  for  this  office,  with  the  exception  of  the  person 
representing  the  electoral  district  in  the  council,  and 


Introduction.  xi 

the  custos  of  the  parish,  who  presides.  These 
parochial  boards  manage  all  local  affairs.  The 
Church  of  England  in  Jamaica  was  disestablished  in 
1870. 

The  corporate  name  of  the  Board  of  Kingston  is 
the  "  Mayor  and  Council  of  Kingston/' 

The  present  governor  of  Jamaica  is  Sir  Henry 
Arthur  Blake,  K.  C.  M.  G. 


HISTORY  OF  JAMAICA. 


THE  story  of  Jamaica's 
discovery  by  Columbus 
in  1494  is  well  known. 
It  was  on  the  great  nav- 
igator's second  voyage  of 
discovery  that  he  saw 
"the  blue  summits  of  a 
vast  and  lofty  island  at  a 
great  distance,"  which 
"  began  to  rise  like  clouds  above  the  horizon."  Two 
days  later,  the  hostility  of  the  natives  having  been 
allayed,  a  landing  was  effected  at  a  place  which  is 
called  on  the  old  maps  Oracabessa.  Its  site  is  near 
the  town  of  Port  Maria,  on  a  bay  which  the  discoverer 
named  Santa  Gloria,  in  pious  recognition  of  the  beauty 
of  the  surrounding  country. 

Not  until  nine  years  later  did  the  actual  Spanish 
colonization  of  the  island  commence.  When  Colum- 
bus on  a  subsequent  voyage,  with  caravels  almost 
totally  wrecked  by  the  violence  of  an  extraordinary 
tempest,  was  driven  to  seek  a  harbor,  he  put  into  the 
bay  now  known  as  Dry  Harbor,  which  he  called 
Puerto  Bueno.  That  was  on  the  23d  of  June,  1503. 
Excepting  the  gentle  manliness  of  Columbus'  own 


2  History  of  Jamaica. 

character  there  is  little  that  is  pleasant  to  chronicle  of 
the  Spanish  rule. 

The  earlier  records  of  Jamaica  are  a  chapter  of 
more  or  less  prosperous  wickedness,  seldom  equalled  in 
the  world's  story.  The  Spaniards,  having  done  to 
death  in  various  ways  above  sixty  thousand  of  the 
aborigines,  settled  themselves  down  to  the  acquisition 
of  wealth  in  their  city  of  St.  Jago,  of  which  Columbus 
was  created  Duke.  They  had  founded  Melilla  first, 
drifted  thence  to  Savilla,  abandoned  Savilla  to  build 
Oristan,  and  this  for  St.  Jago  de  la  Vega — now  Span- 
ish Town. 

The  accounts  of  the  Spanish  occupancy  having  been 
written  generally  by  Englishmen,  are  hardly  matter  to 
swear  by.  According  to  these  narratives  their  lives 
were  a  compound  of  cruelty  and  indolence.  If  this 
was  the  case  the  English  conquest  in  the  time  of 
Cromwell  brought  little  material  change  to  the  land, 
except  that  the  English  drove  a  more  flourishing  trade 
with  the  outside  world,  and  made  their  chief  city  at 
once  a  nest  of  vice  and  a  centre  of  rude  luxury. 

In  1590  Sir  Anthony  Shirley,  an  Englishman, 
attacked  the  island  and  burned  St.  Jago,  the  capital, 
but  did  not  choose  to  follow  up  his  conquest.  Upon 
the  retirement  of  the  English  the  Spaniards  repaired 
Spanish  Town,  and  were  then  unmolested  by  foreign 
foe  till  1635.  That  year  Colonel  Jackson  sailed  with 
a  small  fleet  to  the  Windward  Islands  and  thence  to 
Jamaica,  where,  with  five  hundred  men,  he  attacked  a 
garrison  of  two  thousand  Spaniards  at  Passage  Fort, 
and  after  a  hot  fight,  in  which  seven  hundred  Spaniards 


History  of  Jamaica.  3 

are  said  to  have  been  killed,  utterly  routed  the  set- 
tlers. 

Having  visited  Spanish  Town  and  extorted  ransom, 
Jackson  followed  Shirley's  example  and  retired.  But 
a  few  years  later  Jamaica  was  again  taken.  "The 
Crafty  Mazerine," — to  quote  Charles  Leslie's  honest 
Royalist  Chronicle, — "  having  engaged  Cromwell  to 
join  with  France  and  turn  his  arms  against  Spain, 
politickly  contrived  an  expedition  to  the  West  Indies." 
A  fine  fleet  was  fitted,  aboard  of  which  were  "  two 
thousand  old  cavaliers  and  as  many  of  Oliver's  army." 
The  commanders  were  Colonel  Venables  and  Admiral 
Penn,  the  father  of  William  Penn,  who  got  one  thou- 
sand three  hundred  more  adventurers  at  Barbadoes  and 
the  Windward  Islands.  With  such  an  army,  good 
ships  and  able  officers,  they  attacked  St.  Jago,  after  an 
unsuccessful  expedition  against  Hispaniola.  In  May, 
1655,  St.  Jago  capitulated  to  this  force,  its  forts  and 
defences  proving  all  inadequate  against  the  munitions 
of  the  invaders.  But  while  parleying,  and  amusing  the 
English  with  fair  speeches  and  presents,  the  Spaniards 
contrived  to  remove  much  of  their  treasure  from  St. 
Jago,  and  the  same  is  supposed  by  treasure  seekers  and 
other  romantic  people  to  be  hid  to  this  day  in  wells 
and  other  safe  places  in  the  neighborhood. 

After  the  English  had  gained  the  city  they  were 
afraid  of  the  foe,  who  still  retained  possession  of  the 
country  and  greatly  harassed  them  by  sudden  sorties 
and  skirmishes.  At  length,  however,  the  conquest  was 
complete.  The  last  Spanish  governor  fled  to  Cuba, 
from  a  point  on  the  north  side  of  Jamaica,  still  known 


4  History  of  Jamaica. 

as   Runaway  Bay.     From  this  time  British  rule   was  * 
permanently  established. 

When  Admiral  Penn  and  Colonel  Venables  returned 
to  England  they  left  in  charge  of  the  colony  Colonel 


D'Oyley,  whose  command  included  nearly  .three 
thousand  men  and  twenty  war  vessels.  D'Oyley  was 
a  brave  and  excellent  leader.  It  was  through  him 
that  the  last  remnant  of  the  Spaniards  were  driven 


History  of  Jamaica.  5 

from  the  island.  But  they  left  behind  them  a  number 
of  slaves,  probably  of  mixed  Carib  and  African  blood, 
who,  being  fierce  and  warlike,  took  to  the  mountain 
fastnesses  and  became  bandits,  preying  upon  the  fields 
and  endangering  the  persons  of  the  new  settlers. 
D'Oyley  succeeded  in  subduing  them  for  a  time,  but 
he  left  a  few  individuals,  who  in  later  years  grew  to  be 
powerful  and  greatly  harassed  the  colony.  Their  part 
in  Jamaican  history  has  been  sufficiently  prominent  to 
warrant  this  account  of  their  origin.  A  remnant  of 
them  is  still  left,  peacefully  enjoying  the  privileges 
and  immunities  which  they  formerly  wrested  from 
the  government.  They  are  known  as  the  Ma- 
roons. 

Cromwell  fitted  a  second  squadron  and  sent  Major 
Sedjwick  to  relieve  Colonel  D'Oyley.  Before  Sedj- 
wick's  arrival  D'Oyley  suppressed  a  mutiny  among  his 
men,  shooting  the  ringleaders. 

The  new  governor  lived  but  a  few  days  after  his 
arrival,  and  the  popular  cavalier  again  resumed  the 
direction  of  affairs. 

Cromwell  then  appointed  Colonel  Brayne,  of  Scot- 
land, with  orders  to  colonize  one  thousand  round- 
heads from  Port  Patrick  to  balance  the  royalists  of 
D'Oyley's  party.  But  Colonel  Brayne  followed  Sedj- 
wick, and  for  a  third  time  D'Oyley  ruled.  He  was  a 
wise  and  energetic  leader,  governing  with  forethought 
and  prudence.  Having  been  twice  supplanted  by 
Cromwell,  because  he  was  a  Royalist,  he  was  finally  re- 
moved by  Charles  II.  upon  his  accession  to  the  throne 
to  make  place  for  the  royal  favorite,  Lord  Windsor ; 


6  History  of  Jamaica. 

leaving  so  good  a  reputation,  however,  that  he 
was  long  looked  upon  as  the  best  of  the  gover- 
nors. 

The  new  governor  did  little,  but,  to  quote  Chas. 
Leslie's  venerable  history,  "  In  my  Lord  Windsor's 
government  the  Island  was  in  a  very  flourishing  condi- 
tion, for  by  this  time  the  buccaneers  had  begun  their 
trade  of  pyrating  and  made  money  plentiful''1  About 
this  time,  too,  there  were  many  wealthy  men  who 
came  from  other  islands  to  settle  in  Jamaica.  Among 
these  was  Sir  Thos.  Moddiford,  afterwards  governor. 
Sir  Chas.  Lyttleton  followed  Windsor,  the  latter  being 
removed  finally  at  the  earnest  protest  of  the  Span- 
iards, who  complained  bitterly  of  the  part  he  took  in 
protecting  the  pirates.  Under  Lyttleton  the  first 
concessions  were  made  to  the  Maroons,  grants  of  land 
and  magisterial  power  being  given  to  Juan  de  Bolas, 
their  leader.  The  governor  also  issued  writs  for  the 
first  general  assembly  held  upon  the  island.  Members 
were  returned  from  twelve  districts  and  met  at  Santi- 
ago de  la  Vega  (now  Spanish  Town),  where  they  in- 
dulged in  great  conviviality,  if  we  may  trust  the  older 
histories. 

This  first  assembly  was  dissolved  by  Deputy  Gov. 
Sir  Edward  Morgan.  Following  him  came  Moddiford, 
whose  rule,  says  one  of  the  chronicles,  "  brought  the 
island  to  its  greatest  perfection."  The  population  was 
then  17,298  inhabitants.  Money  was  plenty,  immigra- 
tion increased  and  affairs  were  generally  in  a  prosper- 
ous condition.  Writs  were  issued  for  a  new  council, 
which  proved  to  be  rather  combative  in  its  temper 


History  of  Jamaica.  y 

than  deliberative.  One  of  its  members  murdered 
another  at  a  state  dinner. 

While  the  assembly  were  quarrelling,  the  governor, 
on  his  own  responsibility,  was  amusing  himself  by 
granting  commissions  and  letters  of  marque  to  the 
pirates  who  already  swarmed  the  Spanish  Main. 
These  were  to  annoy  the  fleets  of  Spain. 

No  chapter  in  the  world's  annals  presents  more  ap- 
propriate material  for  modern  melodrama  than  the 
lives  of  the  buccaneers. 

Bartholomew,  a  Portuguese,  was  the  first  buccaneer 
of  note  and  achieved  some  brilliant  successes,  but  was 
soon  overshadowed  by  others.  Brafiliano,  a  Dutch- 
man, took  some  valuable  prizes  and  greatly  harassed 
the  Spaniards.  Lewis  Scott  was  the  first  to  land  a 
force  on  Spanish  territory  and  engage  in  terrestrial 
warfare,  one  of  his  acts  being  the  sack  of  Campeche. 
Mansvelt  took  the  Island  of  St.  Catherines  and  wanted 
to  hold  it,  under  colonial  protection,  as  a  pirate  ren- 
dezvous. He  extorted  a  great  ransom.  The  redoubt- 
able John  Davis  carried  fire  and  sword  into  Nicaragua 
and  St.  Augustine,  retiring  with  immense  booty. 
But  the  greatest  of  all  the  buccaneers  was  Henry 
Morgan.  The  son  of  a  poor  Welsh  farmer,  sold  into 
servitude  in  Barbadoes  and  serving  his  term  of  slavery 
as  a  laborer,  he  impressed  upon  his  time  a  romantic 
enthusiasm  for  his  deeds  and  personality.  Although 
greatly  admired  and  copied  by  other  privateers, 
Morgan  is  said  by  his  biographers  to  have  been 
unlike  them,  though  in  what  the  dissimilarity  con- 
sisted we  of  a  later  day  may  be  too  dull  to  discover. 


8 


History  of  Jamaica. 


By  his  followers  were  com- 
mitted cruelties  unexam- 
pled ;  yet  he  is  spoken  of  as 
being  on  a  moral  plane  far 
above  such  men  as  Mansvelt, 
with  whom,  by  the  way,  he 
sailed  as  vice-admiral  in  the 
latter's  successful  expedition 
against  St.  Catherines.  Mor- 
gan, upon  the  death  of 
Mansvelt,  became  the  great 
pirate  leader.  He  never 
sailed  without  a  commission, 
however,  and  so  over  his 
colossal  barbarities  was 
thrown  the  cloak  of  author- 
ity, and  expeditions  for  pil- 
lage and  rapine  were  dignified  as  naval  encounters  and 
invasions. 

In  1670,  with  an  army  of  1200  men  and  a  numerous 
fleet,  he  attacked  the  town  of  Panama,  then  very  rich  ; 
was  victorious  over  the  army  that  was  sent  against 
him  and  secured  175  mule  loads  of  precious  metal. 
Of  this  plunder  his  crew  received  only  two  hundred 
pieces  of  eight  each,  and  mutinied,  whereupon  this  in- 
trepid leader  stole  away  with  treasure  to  the  value  of 
£25,000. 

The  immense  wealth  at  this  period  brought  into 
Port  Royal ;  the  thousands  of  freebooters  whose 
money,  bought  with  blood,  was  spent  in  crime  ;  the 
cargoes  of  merchant  fleets  brought  to  its  stalls  and  the 


History  of  Jamaica.  g 

ransom  of  provinces  paid  into  its  coffers,  made  this 
city  enormously  wealthy.  Its  state  was  barbaric  but 
splendid  ;  no  form  of  vice  was  wanting,  no  indul- 
gence too  extravagant  for  its  lawless  population. 

One  of  the  curious  contradictions  of  history  oc- 
curred about  here.  Sir  Thos.  Moddiford  was  relieved, 
and  sailed  for  England  as  a  prisoner,  to  answer  for  the 
offence  of  exceeding  his  authority  in  commissioning 
Morgan.  About  the  same  time  Morgan  was  knighted 
for  his  victory  at  Panama  and  was  thereafter  known  as 
Sir  Henry  Morgan,  the  wealthy  planter,  the  foe  of  the 
pirates  and  the  friend  to  law  and  order. 

Six  years  later  Morgan,  as  Lieutenant-Governor, 
assumed  control  of  Jamaica's  affairs  and  was  exceed- 
ingly popular. 

Over  a  thousand  Surinamese  Dutchmen  immigrated 
to  the  island  in  1672.  They  were  of  industrious 
habits,  and  added  to  the  colony's  prosperity.  A  general 
awakening  to  industry  resulted  in  the  first  shipment  of 
sugar  to  England,  the  beginning  of  a  trade  which  was 
for  years  the  fruitful  source  of  wealth  to  the  colony, 
and  which,  a  century  later,  brought  Jamaica  to  the 
zenith  of  her  prosperity. 

The  final  crushing  of  the  pirates  and  the  unpopu- 
larity consequent  upon  the  financial  depression  which 
followed,  belonged  to  Lord  Vaughn,  who  recalled  the 
buccaneer's  commissions  and  hung  a  great  many  of 
those  marauders,  thus  effectually  suppressing  the 
dreadful  business.  It  was  at  that  time  that  the  Royal 
African  Company  gained  their  charter  which  gave 
them  every  advantage  upon  the  high  seas,  so  that  the 


io  History  of  Jamaica. 

Jamaica  slave  trade  was  seriously  interfered  with,  and 
the  price  of  human  flesh  rose  enormously. 

In  1678  the  Earl  of  Carlisle  summoned  a  new 
assembly.  Both  he  and  his  successors  were  perpet- 
ually in  hot  water,  standing  often  between  the  colony 
and  the  mother  country,  on  questions  of  financial 
policy  principally. 

When  the  Duke  of  Albemarle  came,  he  established 
a  claim  to  historic  mention  by  bringing  with  him  a 
great  man,  Sir  Hans  Sloane,  the  naturalist.  The 
work  of  this  extraordinary  person,  though  accom- 
plished before  the  discovery  of  our  modern  system  of 
classification  in  Natural  History,  was  of  immense 
benefit  to  science,  and  stands  to-day  a  monument  and 
a  landmark  in  a  history  of  moral  degradation,  intellect- 
ual barrenness,  political  errors  and  mercantile  obliquity. 

The  flight  of  James  II.  and  the  accession  of  William 
and  Mary  to  the  throne  of  England  intensified  for  a 
time  the  political  differences,  which  never  were  allowed 
to  die.  Certain  acts,  inimical,  it  was  claimed,  to  the 
interests  of  Jamaica,  were  repealed  and  the  constitution 
restored,  which  had  been  changed  in  Albemarle's  time. 
To  give  the  details  of  the  perpetual  wrangling  which 
agitated  Jamaica's  rulers  year  after  year  would  be 
neither  interesting  nor  instructive. 

The  Earl  of  Inchequin,  who  took  charge  in  1690 
varied  the  usual  order  of  quarrel  by  sending  the  war 
ships  Severn  and  Guernsey  to  retaliate  upon  the 
French,  who  had  been  annoying  the  sea-coast  inhabi- 
tants of  the  island.  These  vessels  took  valuable 
prizes  in  Hispaniola.  But  Inchequin  did  not  live 


History  of  Jamaica.  it 

to  enjoy  the  prestige  which  such  success  usually 
brings. 

We  now  come  to  one  of  the  most  memorable  events 
in  Jamaican  annals. .  On  the  /th  of  June,  1692,  a  great 
earthquake  shook  the  island  and  almost  totally 
destroyed  the  Metropolis.  Mountains  were  riven, 
earth  and  rock  fell  upon  the  valleys,  burying  the 
people,  hamlets  were  engulfed,  plantations  obliterated 
and  rivers  turned  into  new  channels. 

The  terrible  retribution  that  overtook  Port  Royal  in 
three  or  four  brief  minutes  of  time  can  be  only  com- 
pared in  magnitude  to  the  unexampled  record  of  her 
debauchery.  It  was  a  disaster  which  in  a  moment 
transformed  the  richest  spot  on  earth  to  the  poorest. 
Even  Lisbon's  fate  could  not  compare  with  the 
complete  overthrow  of  the  Jamaican  capital.  Leslie 
says:  "At  the  Time  when  the  Island  was  full  of  Gay 
Hopes,  Wallowing  in  Riches  and  Abandoned  to 
Wickedness,  the  most  dreadful  Calamity  befel  it  that 
ever  happened  to  a  people,  and  which  many  look  upon 
as  a  tremendous  judgment  of  the  Almighty.  On  the 
7th  of  June,  1692,  one  of  the  most  violent  earthquakes 
happened  that  perhaps  was  ever  felt.  It  began 
between  II  and  12  o'clock  at  noon,  shook  down  and 
drowned  nine-tenths  of  Port  Royal  in  two  minutes 
time ;  all  the  Wharves  at  Port  Royal  sunk  at  once. 
There  were  soon  several  Fathoms  of  Water  where  the 
Streets  stood  ;  and  that  one  which  suffered  the  least 
Damage  was  so  overflowed  that  the  Water  swelled  as 
high  as  the  Upper  Rooms  of  the  Houses."  Added  to 
all  the  other  horrors,  the  unburied  dead  which  lay  in 


12  History  of  Jamaica. 

K 

heaps  upon  the  land  or  floated  in  shoals  in  the  harbor, 
became  in  a  little  while,  under  that  tropic  sun,  horrible 
masses  of  putrefaction,  generating  a  pestilence  from 
which  thousands  of  those  who  had  survived  the  earth- 
quake died. 

The  overthrow  of  Port  Royal  led  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  city  of  Kingston  on  the  Liguanea  Plain, 
upon  property  belonging  to  Colonel,  afterward  Sir 
William  Beeston.  The  city  was  laid  out  by  Colonel 
Christian  Lilly,  of  the  Royal  Engineers. 

Shortly  after  these  events  Beeston  assumed  the  gov- 
ernment (in  1693).  It  was  then  that  the  French  were 
again  peculiarly  active  and  annoying.  They  had 
burned  plantations  in  Jamaica,  and  taken  away  slaves 
to  the  value  of  ^"65,000.  The  colonial  militia  finally 
succeeded  in  defeating  these  invaders  on  the  land, 
driving  them  back  to  their  ships  with  loss  ;  but  on  the 
water  the  French  were  victorious,  and  the  great  Eng- 
lish Admiral  Benbow  was  defeated,  dying  from  his 
wounds  in  Kingston  shortly  afterwards. 

During  several  administrations  the  usual  succession 
of  legislative  troubles  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
governors.  The  Picaroons  from  Cuba  created  a  diver- 
sion in  the  time  of  Sir  Nicholas  Lawes,  by  committing 
many  depredations,  and  the  embarrassment  thus 
caused  to  agriculture  was  further  augmented  by  a 
hurricane,  which  destroyed  both  lives  and  property. 
Yet  the  government  could  hardly  leave  its  wrangling 
over  the  question  of  a  permanent  revenue  bill  long 
enough  to  take  proper  measures  for  the  relief  of  the 
sufferers. 


History  of  Jamaica.  13 

Then  followed  a  ruler  whose  course  of  conduct, 
being  in  marked  contrast  to  those  who  had  preceded 
him,  demands  recognition.  Major-General  Robert 
Hunter,  learning,  that  he  was  about  to  receive  the 
appointment  to  Jamaica,  actually  took  pains  to  inform 
himself  of  the  condition  of  the  country  and  people  to 
which  he  was  going,  and  so  effectually  presented  their 
case  and  cause  to  his  Majesty's  ministers  as  to  win 
certain  concessions  for  them.  The  Jamaica  assembly, 
feeling  that  the  country  had  a  friend  in  the  new  gov- 
ernor, promptly  passed  the  much  discussed  bill,  grant- 
ing a  permanent  revenue  of  £8000  per  annum  to  the 
crown,  receiving  in  return  the  confirmation  of  their 
laws,  for  which  they  had  been  fighting.  Besides  this, 
Hunter's  salary  was  increased  from  ^"5000  to  £6000  as 
a  token  of  gratitude  for  his  services. 

Trouble  with  the  Maroons,  already  referred  to,  now 
reached  its  height.  Many  skirmishes  were  fought, 
and  the  whole  colony  was  in  a  state  of  insecurity  and 
alarm.  Indeed,  the  Maroon  war  lasted  with  greater 
or  less  intensity  for  nearly  forty  years,  and  it  was  not 
till  Governor  Trelawney's  arrival  that  peace  was  con- 
cluded with  these  mountaineers.  By  grants  of  land 
and  peculiar  privileges,  he  succeeded  in  forming  a 
treaty  which  was  in  all  points  as  though  concluded 
with  a  foreign  power,  instead  of  with  a  band  of  preda- 
tory savages  in  the  act  of  rebellion. 

In  1739,  the  war  between  England  and  Spain  called 
out  a  volunteer  force  from  Jamaica  to  assist  against 
the  South  American  ports.  The  expedition  in 
which  they  engaged  led  to  the  surrender  of  the 


14  History  of  Jamaica. 

Spanish  American  towns  of  Chagres  and  Porto 
Bello. 

During  Trelawney's  administration  in  1744,  another 
earthquake  shook  Port  Royal,  and  a  great  hurricane 
and  tidal  wave  swept  Savanna  la  Mar  so  that  the 
place,  people,  houses  and  cattle  were  utterly  destroyed. 

Governor  Knowles,  in  1751,  was  burned  in  effigy  for 
some  differences  with  the  House.  In  1760  a  slave  in- 
surrection broke  out  in  the  parish  of  St.  Mary.  Whole 
families  of  white  planters  were  butchered  by  the  in- 
surgents, and  it  was  only  after  a  battle  during  which 
four  hundred  of  them  were  killed  that  peace  was  re- 
stored. The  ringleaders  were  shot  or  hung  in  chains, 
and  many  of  the  others  transported. 

In  1762,  Governor  Lyttleton  brought  news  o£ 
another  war  between  Spain  and  England.  An  expe- 
dition sent  against  Havannah  was  successful,  and 
that  city  capitulated.  Besides  this  victory,  the  cap- 
ture of  twelve  ships  of  the  line,  and  a  fleet  of  mer- 
chantmen, swelled  the  amount  of  booty  to  ^"2,000,000, 
and  made  Jamaica  rich  once  more. 

In  the  time  of  Elletson,  who  succeeded  Lyttleton, 
another  negro  outbreak  occurred  in  Hanover  and 
Westmoreland.  It  was  stamped  out,  and  thirty  ring- 
leaders were  hanged.  Soon  after  this  the  political 
world  was  agitated  over  the  American  war  for  inde- 
pendence, the  recognition  of  the  United  States  by 
France,  and  the  consequent  war  between  that  country 
and  Great  Britain.*  Martial  law  was  proclaimed  in 
Jamaica,  and  the  principal  ports  of  the  island  were 
fortified.  Nelson,  who  was  then  commander  of  Fort 


History  of  Jamaica.  15 

Charles,  volunteered  in  an  expedition  against  Nica- 
ragua, and  nearly  lost  his  life.  Admiral  Rodney, 
Jamaica's  best  loved  hero,  won  a  great  victory  over 
the  French  Admiral  Du  Casse,  in  April,  1782,  thereby 
saving  the  island  from  a  troublesome  foe,  and  winning 
for  himself  the  thanks  of  his  sovereign,  and  his  eleva- 
tion to  the  peerage.  Rodney's  statue,  by  John  Bacon, 
now  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  the  public 
square  at  Spanish  Town. 

Following  these  troublous  times,  Jamaica  was 
plagued  with  famine,  and  swept  by  hurricanes  for  the 
space  of  several  years. 

The  year  1795  saw  another  formidable  Maroon  out- 
break, at  the  termination  of  which  six  hundred  of 
these  troublesome  neighbors  were  transported  to 
Nova  Scotia. 

During  the  eighteenth  century  the  population  of 
the  island  had  greatly  increased,  and  as  towards  the 
close  of  the  seventeenth,  the  great  wealth  brought  by 
the  buccaneers  had  given  a  dazzling  though  temporary 
and  fictitious  prosperity  to  Jamaica,  so  the  closing 
decades  of  the  eighteenth  saw  this  wealth  and  luxury 
repeated  upon  the,  apparently,  more  stable  founda- 
tion of  agriculture  and  commerce. 

In  spite  of  legislative  brawls,  and  the  dangers 
resulting  from  an  isolated,  almost  defenceless  con- 
dition, the  "  Gem  of  the  Antilles  "  was  enjoying  her 
age  of  gold  at  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century. 

During  the  eighteenth  century  the  importation  of 
human  cattle  from  Africa  reached  600,000  souls.  The 


1 6  History  of  Jamaica. 

mortality  among  them  must  have  been  very  great,  for 
in  spite  of  their  natural  tendency  to  increase,  the  close 
of  the  slave  trade  found  barely  half  that  number  on 
the  island.  Bryan  Edwards  says :  "  It  appears  to  me 
that  the  British  slave  trade  had  attained  its  highest 
pitch  of  prosperity  a  short  time  before  the  American 
War  "  (the  War  for  Independence  is  referred  to).  The 
number  of  ships  which  sailed  from  England  to  the 
coast,  engaged  in  the  nefarious  business  of  slave  trad- 
ing in  1771,  was  196  ;  and  the  total  number  taken  to 
British  colonies  in  that  year  (of  which  Jamaica  took 
the  lion's  share)  was  47,146.  The  treatment  these 
poor  creatures  received  at  the  hands  of  their  masters 
was  often  brutal,  and  nearly  always,  to  state  it  mildly, 
unsympathetic.  This  will  be  referred  to  further  on  as 
one  of  the  potent  causes  of  difficulty  between  the 
different  classes  of  the  population. 

A  mutiny  among  the  troops  occurred  during 
William,  Duke  of  Manchester's  administration  of  the 
government,  and  troubles  multiplied.  Wars  inter- 
fered with  commerce,  storms  devastated  the  planta- 
tions, and  the  agitation  over  the  slave  question  be- 
came more  and  more  violent. 

The  bitter  feeling  of  the  planters  against  the 
Imperial  Government  resulted  in  a  threat  to  unite 
with  the  United  States.  The  excitement  spread  to 
the  slaves.  An  outbreak  and  bloodshed  was  the  re- 
sult, and  martial  law  was  proclaimed.  During  the 
Earl  of  Musgrave's  rule,  the  colony  denied  the  right 
of  the  Imperial  Government  to  legislate  for  Jamaica. 
A  long  controversy  ensued,  resulting  in  the  passing  of 


History  of  Jamaica.  17 

the  Emancipation  Act,  which  provided  that,  "  From 
and  after  the  1st  of  August,  1834,  all  the  slaves  in  the 
colonial  possessions  of  Great  Britain  should  be  forever 
free,  but  subject  to  an  intermediate  state  of  six  years' 
apprenticeship  for  praedials  and  four  years  for  do- 
mestics." In  1838  and  '40  the  negroes  of  Jamaica, 
through  the  exertions  of  the  venerated  Wilberforce 
and  others,  became  freedmen.  In  the  early  years  of 
one  of  the  greatest  reigns  that  England  has  known, 
this  attempt  was  made  to  right  a  great  wrong.  In  the 
fifty  years  that  have  intervened,  the  experiment  has 
been  working,  at  first  very  slowly,  because  of  'dense 
ignorance  and  great  misunderstanding  on  both  sides, 
but  latterly  more  rapidly  toward  its  legitimate  con- 
clusion. 

The  history  of  Jamaica  since  the  year  1840  is  al- 
most too  recent  to  be  fairly  written.  It  is  difficult  to 
get  the  proper  proportion  and  perspective  at  such 
short  range.  Unquestionably  the  immediate  effect  of 
emancipation  was  disastrous,  coming  when  it  did, 
upon  Jamaican  industry.  Before  that  time  the  es- 
tates were  greatly  impoverished,  and  were  beginning 
to  yield  much  less  than  they  had  done  a  few  years 
previously.  In  1805,  had  been  the  largest  production 
of  sugar,  the  estates  aggregating  that  year  150,352 
hogsheads.  This  was  doubtless  partly  due  to  the 
introduction  of  Bourbon  cane  in  1799,  for  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  century  the  output  of  sugar  rose  from  95,- 
858  to  110,000  hogsheads,  and  never  fell  below  100,000 
again  till  Mr.  Channing  made  his  anti-slavery  resolu- 
tions in  1823.  Rum,  too,  in  1806  reached  58,780 


1 8  History  of  Jamaica. 

puncheons/  Fifty  years  later  the  production  of  sugar 
had  fallen  to  41,656  hogsheads. 

Emancipation  found  the  planters  in  a  pitiable  con- 
dition financially.  The  majority  were  debtors  to 
English  houses.  The  £5,853,975  sterling  awarded  as 
compensation  for  the  loss  of  their  human  property, 
insufficient  as  the  sum  was,  went  for  the  most  part 
into  the  hands  of  their  creditors.  They  were  left 
without  resources,  with  overworked  estates,  antiquated 
machinery,  scarcity  of  labor  and  a  poor  market. 

Lord  Sligo,  who  arrived  in  1835,  found  his  part  in 
an  impoverished  country,  a  thankless  one.  He  soon 
gave  place  to  Sir  Chas.  Metcalfe,  who  succeeded  in 
restoring  peace  between  Jamaica  and  the  mother 
country.  He  retired  in  1842. 

During  these  years,  further  misfortunes  visited  the 
planters'.  In  slavery  times  the  English  Government 
by  heavy  differential  duty  on  foreign  sugar,  pro- 
tected Jamaica.  But  the  adoption  of  free  trade 
policy  a  few  years  after  emancipation  reduced  the 
price  of  sugar  one-half  to  the  English  consumer,  and 
made  the  planter's  profit  correspondingly  lighter  at  a 
time  when  he  could  ill  afford  any  diminution  of  in- 
come. Abolition  had  cut  down  the  labor  supply. 
Free  trade  had  further  diminished  the  chance  for 
profit  in  sugar  growing.  Estates  were  heavily  mort- 
gaged and  many  were  abandoned. 

To  understand  more  fully  the  condition  of  the 
island  at  this  time,  and  its  bearing  upon  subsequent 
events,  it  will  be  necessary  to  inquire  what  were  the 
relations  existing  between  the  white  man  and  the 


History  of  Jamaica.  10 

negro  before  and  after  the  latter  ceased  to  be  prop- 
erty. In  the  early  days  the  slaves  were  undoubtedly 
overworked  and  cruelly  treated.  In  the  years  suc- 
ceeding those  of  the  two  greatest  crops,  nine  thou- 
sand were  annually  imported  to  repair  losses.  Since 
emancipation  the  freedmen  have  multiplied  by  natural 
increase. 


Each  slave  had  a  little  patch  of  ground  which  he 
was  allowed  to  cultivate  ;  he  was  given  two  suits  of 
clothes  per  annum,  and  provided  with  medical  attend- 
ance when  ill.  The  average  value  of  a  slave  was  in 
the  neighborhood  of  £3 5.  England  paid  £\g  per 
capita  for  them. 

Doubtless  there  was  much   reason   for  the    exceed- 


2O  History  of  Jamaica, 

ingly  bitter^  feeling  with  which  the  two  classes  were 
inclined  to  regard  each  other. 

There  appears  to  have  been  a  downright  fear  on  the 
part  of  the  white  Creole  that  the  black  men  might 
assert  their  numerical  superiority  and  take  iruitters  on 
the  island  into  their  own  hands.  That  seems  to  be 
the  reason  for  certain  discriminating  laws  by  which 
planters  could  eject  negro  tenants  at  a  week's  notice 
and  destroy  the  fruits  of  their  industry.  There  was  a 
heavy  stamp  duty  on  the  transfer  of  small  parcels  of 
land ;  an  import  duty  on  corn  food,  which  was  raised 
from  3</.  to  %s.  per  barrel ;  a  duty  on  shingles  (while 
the  staves  and  hoops  used  by  the  planter  had  the  duty 
to  which  they  were  subject,  reduced) ;  a  license  re- 
quired of  those  who  sold  at  retail,  while  none  was 
required  of  the  wholesale  dealer ;  a  discriminating 
tax  on  sugar  and  coffee. 

In  addition  to  these  legal  bars  and  checks  the 
planters  refused  to  sell  or  lease  small  holdings,  so  that 
the  negroes  were  compelled  to  wait  for  estates  to  go 
to  the  hammer. 

These  things  were  done,  apparently,  for  no  other 
reason  than  to  prevent  the  exercise  of  that  brute 
power  which  the  negro  undoubtedly  possessed.  Out- 
numbered in  a  country  where  the  inhabitants  were 
subject  to  every  insular  disadvantage,  it  is  not  strange 
that  a  violent  use  was  made  of  such  strength  as  the 
white  man  had  to  keep  his  black  neighbor  disarmed. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  abolition  act  of 
May,  1833,  followed  the  slave  uprising  of  the  previous 
year  and  the  excitement  that  attended  it ;  an  agitation 


History  of  Jamaica.  21 

so  great  that  certain  dissenting  ministers  and  mission- 
aries were  freely  charged  with  incendiary  conduct. 
In  1840  a  plan  for  the  introduction  of  coolie  laborers 
was  carried  into  effect,  20,000  of  these  Indian  hands 
being  thus  added  to  the  working  population  of  the 
island.  It  was  not  only  expected  that  the  coolie 
would  supplement  the  ordinary  labor  supply,  but 
would,  upon  extraordinary  occasions,  stand  between 
the  planter  and  the  inconvenience  and  loss  which  he 
experienced  from  the  intermittent  industry  of  the 
irresponsible  freedman.  The  Indian  was  a  check 
upon  that  spirit  of  independence  which,  however  com- 
mendable in  theory,  has  sometimes  been  a  bane  prac- 
tically. 

The  introduction  of  the  coolies,  like  the  acts  imme- 
diately following  the  abolition  of  African  slavery,  was 
simply  an  expedient ;  a  bridge  by  which  the  governing 
class  tried  to  cross  that  slough  of  despond  by  which 
Jamaican  industries  were  encompassed.  In  spite  of 
the  honest  opposition  to  which  it  was  subjected  it 
bids  fair  to  prove  itself  an  act  of  statesmanship,  having 
resulted  in  the  permanent  accomplishment  of  several 
of  the  results  sought  for.  As  to  the  other  acts  to 
which  we  have  referred,  they  did  not  even  serve  their 
immediate  purpose.  Indeed,  the  various  taxes,  checks 
and  disabilities  to  which  the  negroes  were  then  sub- 
jected hastened  an  outbreak  which  culminated  in  a 
veritable  reign  of  terror. 

In  1850,  the  island  was  cursed  with  its  first  infliction 
of  Asiatic  cholera,  which  nearly  decimated  the  popula- 
tion and  further  depressed  agriculture  and  commerce. 


22  History  of  Jamaica. 

In  1865,  while  Mr.  Edward  John  Eyre  was  governor 
of  Jamaica,  a  storm  which  had  been  long  gathering, 
burst  upon  the  island.  While  those  who  participated 
in  the  events  of  that  time  are  still,  in  many  cases, 
engaged  actively  in  the  government  and  social  affairs 
of  the  colony,  it  is  yet  too  early  to  give  more  than  a 
brief  outline  of  the  negro  uprising  in  the  East. 

Mr.  George  William  Gordon,  born  a  slave  and  the 
son  of  his  master,  had  become  a  man  of  mark  in 
Jamaica,  having  acquired  property  and  being  actively 
engaged  in  politics.  An  elected  member  of  the  gov- 
ernment, and  belonging  by  virtue  of  his  possessions  to 
a  class  usually  conservative,  Mr.  Gordon  was  called  by 
many  people  an  agitator — a  negrophile. 

At  a  time  when  meteorological  causes  had  resulted 
in  poor  crops,  and  the  American  war  made  provisions 
high,  so  that  the  people  were  discontented  by  reason 
of  actual  want,  Gordon  presided  at  a  meeting  in 
Kingston  at  which  speeches  were  made  inciting,  urging 
the  people  of  African  descent  to  "  form  themselves 
into  societies,  hold  public  meetings,  and  co-operate  for 
the  purpose  of  setting  forth  their  grievances." 

Whatever  the  purpose  of  Gordon  and  his  party,  it 
was  soon  lost  sight  of  in  the  disastrous  and  unlooked- 
for  result.  The  people  to  whom  he  had  appealed, 
being  very  ignorant,  knew  nothing  of  arguments  or 
appeals,  or  the  niceties  of  legal  redress.  They  were 
abundantly  gifted  with  savage  passions,  and  they  were 
proficient  in  the  use  of  the  machete.  There  were 
certain  individuals  whom  they  greatly  hated,  and  a 
class  whose  interests  were  all  opposed  to  their  own. 


History  of  Jamaica.  23 

They  would  appeal  to  the  machete.  That  seemed 
reasonable  to  them. 

On  the  i  ith  of  October  the  custos  and  vestry  of  St. 
Thomas  in  the  East,  met  at  the  court-house  at  Morant, 
where  they  were  attended  by  a  protecting  body  of 
volunteers.  An  attack  by  the  excited  blacks  resulted 
in  the  murder  of  nearly  all  of  that  vestry,  the  slaughter 
of  all  the  officers  and  nearly  all  of  the  private  men  of 
the  volunteer  command,  and  the  perpetuation  of  the 
most  atrocious  barbarity  by  the  insurgents. 

The  fight  at  Morant  Court-house  was  one  of  almost 
unexempled  ferocity  and  horror.  The  pillage,  arson 
and  bloodshed  which  followed  it  filled  the  island  with 
terror. 

When  Governor  Eyre  was  informed  of  the  outrage 
he  took  measures  to  put  down  the  rebellion.  White 
troops  and  volunteers,  aided  effectually  by  the 
Maroons,  crushed  the  insurrection  in  a  week.  Mar- 
tial law  had  at  once  been  proclaimed  and  was  in  oper- 
ation for  a  month. 

Among  the  hundreds  who  were  arrested  was  Mr. 
Gordon,  who  was  summarily  tried  by  court-martial 
and  on  the  verdict  of  that  insufficient  tribunal,  hanged. 
Those  of  his  friends  and  enemies  now  living  may 
settle  upon  the  term  by  which  his  execution  is  to  be 
named. 

The  report  of  the  commission  appointed  by  the 
crown  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the  outbreak,  and 
the  means  used  to  suppress  it,  will  give  a  clear  enough 
idea  of  Governor  Eyre's  acts.  The  commission  of 
inquiry,  whose  president  was  Sir  Henry  Knight 


24  History  of  Jamaica. 

Storks,  associated  with  whom  were  Mr.  Russell  Guer- 
ney,  the  Recorder,  of  London,  and  Mr.  J.  B.  Maule, 
the  Recorder  of  Leeds,  reported  as  follows  : 

"(i)  That  the  punishments  inflicted  during  martial 
law  were  excessive  ;  (2)  that  the  punishment  of 
death  was  unnecessarily  frequent ;  (3)  that  the  flog- 
gings were  reckless  and  at  Bath  positively  barbarous  ; 
(4)  that  the  burning  of  one  thousand  houses  was 
wanton  and  cruel."  The  commissioners  also  reported 
that  the  "  disturbances  had  their  immediate  origin  in  a 
planned  resistance  to  lawful  authority,"  and  that  "  a 
principal  object  of  the  disturbers  of  order  was  the 
obtaining  of  land  free  from  the  payment  of  rent." 


LATER  DAYS. 


THERE  is  every  reason  for  refraining  from  presenting 
for  the  perusal  of  intelligent  men  the  record  of  their 
own  acts,  except  when  they  have  become  components 
of  a  rounded  epoch,  a  completed  chapter  of  history. 

The  years  following  the  insurrection  that  ended 
with  the  execution  of  Gordon  were  marked  by  some 
radical  changes,  both  in  the  form  of  government  and 
the  commercial  life  of  the  colony. 

Under  Governor  Eyre's  influence  the  legislature 
passed  an  act  abolishing  the  constitution  and  virtually 
tendering  the  government  to  the  crown.  The  act 
empowered  her  Majesty,  the  Queen,  "  to  create  and 
constitute  a  government  for  this  island  in  such  form 
and  with  such  powers  as  to  her  Majesty  may  seem 
best  fitting."  This  act,  endorsed  by  the  crown,  was 
the  final  surrender  of  those  liberties  for  which  Jamai- 
cans of  other  days  had  hotly  contended  :  a  represent- 
ative government  which  had,  in  a  history  of  two 
hundred  and  two  years  been  almost  Republican  in  its 
powers  and  pretentions. 

Upon  the  report  of  Sir  Henry  Knight  Stocks  and 
his  commission,  upon  the  conduct  of  Governor  Eyre, 
the  crown  refused  to  replace  him  at  the  head  of  the 
Jamaican  government  and  he  left  Jamaica. 


2f> 


History  <>f  Jamaica. 


Later  Days.  27 

In  1865,  the  year  of  the  insurrection,  financial  affairs 
were  at  their  lowest  ebb.  In  September,  less  than  a 
month  before  the  outbreak,  the  colonial  treasurer 
showed  a  deficit  of  about  £80,000,  and  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  unusual  expenses  due  to  that  affair.  To 
cover  these,  a  rum  duty,  house  tax,  and  various  tariff 
burdens  were  imposed.  Trade  licenses  were  required 
to  be  purchased  by  those  engaged  in  certain  branches 
of  business.  The  result  of  these  necessary  enactments 
was  a  temporary  revival  of  the  treasury.  Three  years 
after  Governor  Eyre's  departure  there  was  a  surplus 

of  £5,599- 

The  year  1868  should  be  a  red  letter  one  in  Jamai- 
can annals.  It  was  the  turn  of  the  tide,  the  dawning 
that  came  after  the  darkest  night:  the  year  of  the  first 
surplus  ;  the  year  of  the  first  fruit  shipment  from  Port 
Antonio ;  of  the  revival  of  coolie  immigration;  of  the 
first  cinchona  planting  on  the  Blue  Mountain. 

Sir  Peter  Grant  was  then  governor.  Throughout 
the  whole  of  his  administration  of  government  there 
was  an  annual  surplus  in  the  treasury.  Reporting  on 
the  financial  situation  in  1871-72  he  says :  "  The  con- 
tinuing surplus  accrues  from  no  increase  of  taxation, 
and  is  in  the  face  of  a  large  expenditure  on  public 
works  of  utility  and  importance,  of  a  largely  increas- 
ing expenditure  on  such  departments  as  those  of 
education  and  medicine,  and  of  some  increase  of  ex- 
penditure in  those  administrative  and  revenue  depart- 
ments which  necessarily  require  development  as  the 
population  and  wealth  of  the  colony  become  devel- 
oped." About  the  time  that  the  report  just  quoted 


28  History  of  Jamaica. 

from  was  written,  the  import  duty  levied  in  the  early 
part  of  1868  was  removed,  and  certain  tonnage  dues 
and  taxes  on  live  stock  taken  away. 

1871  saw  the  disestablishment ,  of  the  Church  of 
England,  the  repeal  of  the  law  granting  power  to  the 
governor  to  proclaim  martial  law  in  times  of  insur- 
rection, and  the  taking  of  the  census.  The  population 
was  then  estimated  at  506,154.  The  seat  of  govern- 
ment was  at  this  time  removed  from  Spanish  Town  to 
Kingston,  a  move  which  was  decidedly  against  the 
experience  of  nations,  and  could  hardly  be  defended 
on  the  plea  of  convenience.  Not  only  were  the  com- 
modious buildings  and  government  property  aban- 
doned and  allowed  to  go  to  decay,  but  the  defence  of 
a  retired  position,  the  advantage  of  comparative  isola- 
tion from  the  centre  of  business  activity,  and  the  value 
of  historic  association  were  alike  given  up  for  a  posi- 
tion of  small  advantage  to  the  routine  of  public  work, 
whatever  benefit  it  may  be  to  the  merchant  or  profes- 
sional man. 

Sir  J.  P.  Grant  had  an  opportunity  to  test  the  value 
of  an  island  statute,  relating  to  the  confiscation  of 
munitions  of  war  landed  in  Jamaica. 

The  La  Have,  cleared  for  Kingston  and  loaded  with 
arms,  was  captured  by  a  Spanish  man-of-war  and 
brought  to  Jamaica,  where  the  cargo  was  duly  seized. 
The  owners  brought  suit  for  ^"33,000  against  the  gov- 
ernor, who  found  himself  so  hard  pushed  that  he  was 
fain  to  compromise  for  ^7,920,  giving  his  note  there- 
for. The  colonial  council  redeemed  the  note  and  the 
Imperial  Government  finally  refunded  the  money. 


Later  Days..  29 

Sir  William  Gray  superseded  Sir  J.  P.  Grant  in 
1874,  and  ruled  till  1877.  Though  these  years  were 
disastrous  in  some  respects,  being  marked  by  drought, 
floods,  destruction  of  roads,  and  the  small-pox,  besides 
a  financial  crisis  in  which  several  prominent  houses 
went  under,  yet  there  was  also  the  establishment  of 
the  Kingston  street  cars  and  the  completion  of  the 
Rio  Cobre  irrigation  canal,  a  work  of  which  it  would 
be  difficult  to  overestimate  the  value. 

Lieutenant-Governor  Rtishworth  succeeded  to  Sir 
William  Gray  in  the  management  of  the  government, 
in  1877.  Kingston  was  lighted  with  gas  that  year, 
Jamaica  was  admitted  to  the  postal  union,  and  the 
commission  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the  juve- 
nile population  appointed,  with  results  decidedly  bene- 
ficial, as  it  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  system  of 
education  now  operative,  besides  calling  attention 
to  certain  other  necessary  reforms.  Before  the  end  of 
the  year  the  lieutenant-governor  died,  and  Sir  An- 
thony Musgrave  succeeded  him.  At  the  beginning  of 
his  administration  financial  affairs  were  not  in  good 
shape.  The  transfer  of  a  large  immigration  debt, 
together  with  hospital  and  other  expenses,  added  to  a 
deficit  in  the  general  account  of  £4,063  ;  and  an  antici- 
pated deficit  for  1878  of  £2,683  burdened  the  treasury. 
To  meet  the  exigency  the  governor  recommended 
that  the  poll  tax  on  cattle,  removed  seven  years 
before,  should  be  reimposed  and  a  loan  raised.  This 
was  enacted,  and  thus  began  an  administration  which, 
while  not  always  brilliantly  successful  financially,  was 
still  marked  not  only  by  the  adoption  of  some  neces- 


30  History  of  Jamaica. 

sary  expedients  in  raising  the  revenue,  but  by  a  gener- 
ally wise  and  enlightened  policy,  and  the  institution  of 
a  number  of  public  works  and  reforms,  by  which  the 
island  is  still  benefitted. 

The  expenditure  on  public  works  during  the  first 
year  enabled  the  treasurer  to  report  a  surplus,  the  new 
loan  being  added  to  the  public  debt.  But  afterwards 
the  measures  already  alluded  to  were  carried  through 
with  judgment  and  vigor. 

The  railway  and  telegraph  facilities  now  enjoyed  by 
the  island  are  due  to  Governor  Musgrave,  as  is  also  its 
cable  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The 
judicial  system  was  improved  and  the  consolidation  of 
the  superior  courts  accomplished.  The  Victoria  Insti- 
tute, for  the  promotion  of  literature,  science  and  art, 
was  established.  The  cinchona  plantations  were  made 
in  St.  Andrews,  and  an  annual  scholarship  founded  in 
Kingston,  which  made  possible  to  the  holder  admis- 
sion to  either  of  the  English  universities.  Besides 
these  things  a  change  in  administration  of  the  high 
school  and  in  the  efficiency  of  the  teachers'  training 
schools  were  inaugurated.  In  1879  a  new  marriage  law 
was  passed,  making  civil  marriages  legal. 

Nature,  during  this  administration,  did  not  act  as 
the  supporter  of  the  governor  and  his  council  in  their 
efforts  for  the  advancement  of  Jamaican  interests. 
Floods,  a  drought,  a  cyclone,  earthquakes  and  other 
calamities  caused  considerable  distress,  some  loss  of 
life  and  injury  to  commerce.  By  wise  management 
much  of  the  ill  effect  of  these  things  was  averted  how- 
ever. 


Later  Days.  31 

The  delay  of  the  schooner  Florence,  laden  with 
arms  and  bound  for  Venezuela,  but  driven  into  Kings- 
ton by  stress  of  weather,  caused  complications  which 
led  to  some  debate  and  the  recognition  of  all  the  non- 
official  members  of  the  council.  The  four  parties  to 
the  disagreement  were  Sir  Anthony  Musgrave,  and  the 
Collector  of  Customs,  who  made  the  seizure ;  the 
Venezuelan  owners  of  the  cargo,  the  Secretary  of 
State,  who  instructed  the  governor  to  request  the  leg- 
islative council  to  pay  damages  and  costs  after  the 
suit,  and  the  council,  who  claimed  that  the  acts  of  the 
governor  were  entirely  on  the  ground  of  international 
and  imperial  duty.  This  controversy  led  to  the  ap- 
pointment of  commissioners  to  inquire  into  the  financial 
questions  involved  and  to  report  upon  them,  who 
arrived  just  after  the  disastrous  Kingston  fire,  which 
occurred  in  1881,  on  the  nth  of  December.  The 
commissioners  adopted  one  important  suggestion 
made  by  Sir  Anthony  Musgrave,  that  is,  the  creation 
of  the  office  of  Collector  General,  the  incumbent  of 
which  should  preside  over  the  joint  departments  of 
the  revenue  and  treasury  This  was  approved  by  the 
Secretary  of  State. 

The  Kingston  fire,  just  referred  to,  swept  over  the 
town,  damaging  property  to  the  value  of  £150,000. 
Great  distress  was  occasioned,  but  without  question 
the  temporary  loss  and  hurt  were  more  than  balanced 
by  subsequent  improvements  in  building  and  busi- 
ness. 

The  retirement  of  Governor  Musgrave  was  the 
cause  of  sincere  regret  on  the  part  of  the  people  of 


32  History  of  Jamaica. 

Jamaica,  who  recognized  his  wisdom  and  appreciated 
the  earnestness  of  his  efforts  for  their  advantage. 

During  Governor  Gamble's  rule  in  1883,  promises 
were  made  by  the  crown  that  a  constitutional  change 
should  be  made  for  Jamaica,  and  the  elective  element, 
enjoyed  for  so  many  years  prior  to  the  disastrous 
events  of  Governor  Eyre's  administration,  should  be 
restored. 

These  promises  were  -carried  into  effect  in  1884, 
while  Sir  Henry  Wylie  Norman  was  at  the  head  of 
affairs.  A  royal  commission  to  report  on  the  franchise 
consisted  of  the  following  named  gentlemen :  Hon. 
William  Harriott  Coke,  Hon.  William  Vickers,  Hon. 
Michael  Solomon,  Hon.  Arthur  Watson-Taylor,  Hon. 
Thomas  Lloyd  Harvey,  Mr.  Samuel  Constantine 
Burke,  Dr.  James  Cecil  Phillipo,  and  Mr.  George 
Stiebel.  Upon  the  reception  of  a  despatch  from  Lord 
Derby,  which  did  not  promise  to  the  people  under  the 
new  constitution  all  the  liberty  of  government  which 
they  sought,  especially  in  questions  of  finance,  there 
were  numerous  private  and  public  meetings  held  in 
several  parts  of  the  island,  and  protests  made  against 
accepting  anything  less  than  a  "  definite,  substantial 
and  effective  control  over  the  financial  affairs  of  the 
country."  At  a  public  meeting  in  Kingston  a  resolu- 
tion was  passed,  protesting  among  other  matters  that 
"  the  governor's  presence  and  power  in  the  council 
has  been  in  the  past  and  will  be  in  the  future,  unduly 
restrictive  of  the  freedom  of  debate."  To  this  the 
governor  replied ;  the  commissioners  of  finance  com- 
mented upon  it  at  some  length  and  considerable 


Later  Days.  33 

warmth  was  shown  in  the  controversy,  but  no  conclu- 
sion was  reached  for  a  time.  On  June  2oth  of  that 
year  an  order  in  council,  by  her  Majesty,  was  issued, 
reconstituting  the  legislative  council  of  Jamaica. 

The  elections  were  carried  through  with  an  absence 
of  anything  like  excitement  or  disturbance  ;  a  quie- 
tude more  surprising,  when  we  consider  that  such  im- 
portant changes  in  the  governmental  affairs  of  other 
countries  have  frequently  been  accompanied  by  more 
or  less  disturbance  and  have  led  to  unpleasant  results. 

Events  more  recent  than  those  which  we  have  so 
briefly  noticed  are  not  yet  history,  and  wherever  they 
come  within  the  scope  of  this  work  must  be  treated  in 
other  chapters. 


CLIMATE. 


THE  varied  surface  of  Jamaica,  with  altitudes  rang- 
ing from  the  levels  along  the  sea,  up  through  the  pla- 
teaus of  the  western  end  of  the  island  to  the  7,360  feet 
of  the  Blue  Mountain  Peaks,  affords  a  range  of  climate 
which  leaves  little  to  be  desired  by  either  the  seeker 
after  health  or  the  permanent  resident,  provided  the 
ability  to  move  from  one  elevation  to  the  other  is  taken 
for  granted.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  during  certain 
seasons,  principally  from  June  15  to  September  15,  life 
in  the  larger  towns  is  far  from  enjoyable  on  account  of 
the  heat.  Yet  it  is  quite  safe  to  say  that  during  that 
same  period  the  resident  of  Kingston  can  maintain  the 
mental  equipoise  due  to  a  freedom  from  overheating 
with  greater  ease  than  can  the  sojourner  in  New  York 
City.  This  is  due  to  several  causes,  principal  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  the  following :  the  ther- 
mometer does  not  reach  the  "  upper  nineties  ;  "  there 
is  nearly  always  present  during  the  midday  a  strong 
sea  breeze — commonly  called  "  the  Doctor;"  life 
goes  on  at  a  slower  and  more  comfortable  pace,  the 
houses,  needing  no  provisions  against  the  colds  of  fall 
and  winter,  are  constructed  only  with  a  view  to  keep- 
ing out  the  rain  and  the  heat,  and  are,  where  well  sit- 
uated, perfect  abodes  of  sombre  and  enchanting  cool- 


Climate.  35 

ness ;  and  lastly,  though  principally,  the  nights  arc 
never  unbearable.  On  the  outskirts  of  Kingston  the 
thermometer,  carefully  watched  during  the  hot 
month  of  August,  1890,  -by  the  Observer  of  the  United 
States  Signal  Service,  stationed  there  to  warn  his  Gov- 
ernment of  approaching  hurricanes,  never  registered 
above  88°,  though  the  New  York  papers  were  at  that 
time  laden  with  complaints  and  accounts  of  the  exces- 
sive heat  throughout  the  Northern  States,  where  even 
death  was  the  result  of  exertion  in  a  temperature  rang- 
ing near  the  100°  mark.  Just  prior  to  this  period  one  of 
the  authors  of  this  book  was  called  away  from  Jamaica 
to  New  York.  His  letters  to  his  more  fortunate  con- 
frere, who  remained  behind  in  the  upper  Liguanea  plain, 
St.  Andrews,  at  an  elevation  of  less  than  500  feet,  at  the 
Constant  Spring  Hotel,  were  remarkable  as  coming 
from  a  denizen  of  the  "  bleak  north-land  "  to  a  resident 
of  the  "  sweltering  tropics."  While  he  was  toiling 
over  baked  pavement  with  98°  in  the  shade  as  no  un- 
usual condition,  and  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere 
a  prominent  characteristic,  his  collaberateur  was  not 
called  on  to  withstand  the  effects  of  a  daily  average  of 
over  80°  and  a  maximum  of  87°,  in  a  remarkably  dry 
atmosphere,  and  with  nights  when  the  mercury  fre- 
quently went  down  to  63°  and  seldom  remained  over 
70°.  In  this  last  particular  the  Jamaican  climate  is 
notably  strong.  Persons  resident  in  the  island  for 
many  years,  have  never  experienced  a  time  when  dur- 
ing a  whole  night  through,  sleep  was  uncomfortable 
by  reason  of  the  heat.  Rather  is  it  likely  to  be  dis- 
turbed by  the  necessity  of  procuring  an  extra  blanket 


36  27ie.  New  Jamaica. 

or  counterpane  between  the  hours  of  two  and  five 
A.  M. 

The  temperature  varjes  with  the  altitude :  though 
a  rare  occurrence,  frost  is  to  be  found  on  these  higher 
peaks,  and  once  in  several  years  ice  is  said  to  form  on 
and  near  the  Blue  Mountain  Peaks.  The  histories 
speak  of  occasional  visitations  of  cold  winds  through 
these  mountain  districts,  the  climax  seeming  to  have 
been  reached  when,  in  1671,  was  experienced  "  the 
blast  " — a  severe  and  very  cold  wind  which  destroyed 
many  crops,  not  only  in  the  hills  but  in  the  low 
lands  as  well,  where  especially  cacao  and  indigo 
suffered. 

While  the  general  average  of  temperature  is  remark- 
ably uniform  throughout  the  island,  the  average  rain- 
fall presents  phenomena  which  seem  to  be  quite 
beyond  the  present  understanding  of  the  student  of 
meteorology.  The  line  of  demarkation  between  two 
adjoining  districts  is  even  more  marked  when  consid- 
ered from  the  point  of  rainfall,  than  is  its  natural  line 
perhaps  formed  by  a  precipitous  mountain  range.  A 
visitor  to  the  Dry  Harbor  Mountains  of  St.  Ann's  may 
find  the  inhabitants  of  Brownstown  and  vicinity  actu- 
ally suffering  for  water,  and  to  a  great  extent  depen- 
dent upon  the  enterprise  and  liberal-mindedness  of  a 
prominent  doctor  missionary  who  is  the  happy  pos- 
sessor of  some  famous  tanks  of  rainwater,  saved  against 
the  day  of  need.  Yet  after  a  brief  journey  into  the 
adjoining  parishes,  both  to  southward  and  westward,  he 
will  come  to  regions  where  the  red  clay  and  contrasting 
deep  greens  will  tell  him  of  the  almost  daily  heavy 


Climate.  27 

showers,  which  render  *  these  plateaus  at  times'  rather 
too  damp  for  comfort. 

Though  along  the  highest  ranges  rains  are  of  almost 
daily  occurrence  for  most  of  the  year,  still  for  the 
island  in  general  it  is  a  usually  safe  rule  to  say,  that 
the  months  of  May  and  October  witness  the  heights  of 
the  rainy  seasons,  and  that  from  July  to  the  beginning 
of  the  fall  rainy  season,  usually  late  in  September, 
heavy  showers  are  very  frequent.  For  two  centuries 
this  general  rule  has  been  observed  to  hold  true.  Sir 
Hans  Sloane,  the  noted  naturalist,  writing  of  his  expe- 
riences in  Jamaica  two  hundred  years  ago,  thus  speaks 
in  the  preface  to  his  "  Natural  History  of  Jamaica" : 

"  According  to  the  different  positions  of  the  places, 
so  the  rains  are  more  or  less  violent,  and  come  at 
different  times ;  but,  generally  speaking,  the  two  great 
rainy  seasons  are  in  May  and  October,  in  which  months, 
at  new  or  full  moon,  they  begin,  and  continue  day  and 
night  for  a  whole  fortnight  with  great  violence  so  that 
the  earth  in  all  level  places  is  laid  under  water  for 
some  inches. 

"  In  the  month  of  January  is  likewise  expected  a 
season  of  rain,  but  this  is  not  so  constant  nor  violent 
as  are  the  other  two,  and  probably  may  come  from 
the  violent  norths  coming  over  the  mountains  with 
part  of  their  rains  with  them  ;  for  in  the  north  side  of 
the  island  rains  in  that  month  are  generally  very  fre- 
quent and  violent. 

"  For  all  the  summer  months,  or  when  the  sun  is 
near  or  over  their  heads,  or  through  almost  the  whole 
year,  towards  noon  it  rains  on  some  part  of  the  ridge 


38  The  New  Jamaica. 

of  mountains,  running  through  the  island,  with  thun- 
der and  lightning.  These  rains  seldom  reach  two  or 
three  miles  into  the  plains  ;  wherefore,  on  account  of 
these  rains,  any  valleys  lying  very  near  or  amongst  the 
mountains  have  more  seasons  and  are  more  fertile 
than  the  plains  farther  off,  which,  if  they  have  any 
rain,  is  but  the  outskirts  of  that  in  the  mountains  and 
therefore  inconsiderable." 

Commenting  on  this  very  accurate  account  of  the 
rainfall,  Mr.  Maxwell  Hall,  F.  R.  A.  S.,  says  : 

"  It  thus  appears  that  Sloane  has  alluded  to  the 
May  and  October  rains,  to  the  winter  rains  on  the 
north  side,  to  the  summer  rains  on  the  central  hills, 
and  to  the  small  rainfall  on  the  southern  plains.  Con- 
sequently the  characteristics  of  the  rainfall  have  not 
altered  for  at  least  two  hundred  years." 

It  is  to  Mr.  Hall  that  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
meteorological  conditions  holding  throughout  Jamaica 
is  due.  From  Kempshot  Observatory,  about  five 
miles  northeast  of  Montego  Bay  and  in  latitude  18° 
24'  50"  8  N.,  and  W.  longitude,  78°  52'  22"  8,  at  an  alti- 
tude of  1,773  feet>  Mr.  Hall  has  for  some  years  con- 
ducted and  directed  labors  which  have  greatly  added 
to  the  rather  meagre  tables  which  were  in  existence 
before  he  entered  the  field. 

To  compare  the  temperature  of  Jamaica  with  the 
northern  States  of  the  United  States  or  with  England, 
one  should  observe  that  the  mean  for  the  summer 
months  reaches  only  about  81°,  and  that  for  the  winter 
months  it  does  not  descend  to  75°.  With  a  maximum 
under  90°  and  a  minimum  over  70°,  with  a  mean  differ- 


Climate.  39 

ence  during  the  day  and  evening  of  15.4°,  life  can 
never  be  an  absolute  burden,  even  in  Kingston,  where 
the  severest  conditions  are  to  be  found.  When  the 
fact  that  a  fourteen  mile  ride  will  take  the  invalid 
above  the  fever  line  to  an  altitude  of  4,000  feet,  where 
the  mean  is  fully  10°  below  the  78.6°  of  Kingston,  is 
recalled,  it  will  at  once  be  seen  that,  to  quote  from  the 
Hon.  Geo.  E.  Hoskinson,  late  Consul  for  the  United 
States  at  Kingston  :  "  For  people  of  temperate  habits, 
Jamaica  is  as  healthy  a  place  for  residence  as  any  in 
the  United  States  and  in  this  I  think  the  records  of 
the  Medical  Bureau  will  bear  me  out." 

The  italics  in  the  last  sentence  are  ours.  Nothing 
is  more  impressive  to  the  visitor  than  the  foolhardi- 
ness  shown  in  this  respect  by  many,  especially  young 
men,  who,  coming  out  from  the  colder  north,  usually 
during  the  winter  months,  when  the  contrast  in  tem- 
perature is  very  great,  find  here  a  social  condition, 
among  the  better  classes  of  men,  which  is  famous  for 
its  hospitality  and  good-fellowship.  The  rum  of  the 
island,  a  most  seductive  beverage,  lends  itself  readily 
to  many  decoctions  which  to  the  uninitiated  are  as 
injurious  as  they  are  novel. 

While  the  native  gentleman,  though  sometimes  the 
happier,  is  very  seldom  indeed  the  worse  for  his  glass, 
the  stranger,  on  the  other  hand,  though  the  last  man 
to  indulge  in  such  freedom,  too  often  attempts  to  vie 
with  and  outdo  his  hospitable  acquaintance.  The 
result  is  frequently  an  attack  of  "  pernicious  "  fever,  so 
called  here,  a  form  of  fever,  which  though  not  by  any 
means  the  dreaded  "yellow  jack,"  has  no  doubt  often 


4o  The  New  Jamaica. 

been  called  upon  to  bear  that  fatal  malady's  burdens. 
A  concensus  of  opinion  taken  from  numbers  of  the 
medical  men  throughout  the  island,  bears  us  out  in 
the  statement  that  fully  one-half  the  deaths  of  visitors 
or  temporary  residents  from  febrile  causes  can  readily 
be  traced  to  excesses  in  liquor  or  those  exposures 
which  intoxication  so  generally  leads  to. 

From  the  foregoing,  however,  it  should  not  be 
understood  that  deaths  from  these  causes  are  common. 
It  is  only  the  case  that  a  death  rate,  already  low,  is 
somewhat  increased  by  these  breaches  of  the  laws  of 
hygiene. 

In  this  connection  it  will  interest  the  reader  to  know 
that  leading  Life  Insurance  Companies  in  the  United 
States  now  recognize  the  fact  that  the  same  care  taken 
against  overheating  in  Jamaica  that  it  is  presumed 
their  patrons  take  against  the  cold  of  the  northern 
winters  will  make  it  safe  for  them  to  allow  their  poli- 
cies to  cover  residence  in  the  island  without  restric- 
tions or  the  increase  of  rates. 

After  what  has  been  said  of  the  varying  altitudes 
and  the  considerable  range  of  temperature  and  humid- 
ity, it  will  at  once  be  understood  that  Jamaica  affords 
rare  opportunities  for  the  health-seeker  to  obtain  just 
such  conditions  as  are  best  suited  to  his  case.  For  a 
full  discussion  of  this  subject  the  reader  is  referred  to 
a  work  entitled  "  The  Climate  of  Jamaica,"  by  James 
Cecil  Phillippo,  M.  D.,  L.  R.  C.  S.  (Edin.)  etc.,  London, 
T.  &  A.  Churchill.  Dr.  Phillippo  has  had  many  years' 
experience  as  one  of  the  foremost  physicians  in  the 
island. 


Climate.  41 

In  the  "Handbook"  for  1882,  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Robb,  D.  D.,  says:  "There  are  few  of  us  but  can  tell 
of  those  we  have  known*  seriously  threatened  and  in 
danger,  taking  refuge  here,  with  speedy  and  with 
much  advantage.  Persons  who  could  scarcely  have 
hoped  to  live  through,  a  northern  winter,  by  coining 
hither  have  been  so  far  restored  as  to  live  for  years, 
and  accomplished  much  important  work.*  *  *  In 
fact  the  experience  is  so  extensive  and  its  testimony  is 
so  assuring,  that  we  may  hold  it  settled,  that  persons 
of  the  class  mentioned  who  can  come  to  Jamaica  may 
do  so  with  the  best  of  hopes." 

Before  closing  this  hasty  consideration  of  Jamaica 
as  a  sanitarium,  it  is  well  to  lay  special  stress  on  the 
fact  that  here  life  can  be  to  a  great  extent  out  of 
doors,  even  to  the  advanced  invalid.  "  Perpetual 
June,"  exactly  describes  the  weather  conditions  to  be 
found  here  during  every  one  of  the  twelve  months  of 
the  year.  The  Jamaica  house  is  more  like  a  series  of 
closed  verandas  bunched  together  than  any  other 
form  of  domicile  known  to  the  northern  builder. 
Here  in  these  veranda-like  rooms  with  the  jalousie 
blinds  closed  in  case  of  wind  or  rain,  or  with  them 
thrown  open  to  the  free  entrance  of  the  balmy  breezes 
most  of  the  time,  the  invalid  cannot  fail  to  recover, 
unless  perchance  the  exodus  to  Jamaica  has  been  left 
until  it  is  too  late.  Here  the  breeze  is  ozone  laden  to 
the  fall  ;  nature  is  ever  in  her  brightest  garb  ;  and  the 
cool  nights  insure  the  presence  of  the  sweet  restorer- 
sleep. 


COMMERCIAL  LIFE  AND  RELATIONS. 


"  THE  tone  of  thought  in  commercial  circles  in 
Kingston  is  now  much  more  American  than  English; 
and  reference  is  much  more  frequently  made  to  the 
opinion  of  the  States  and  New  York  than  to  that  of 
England  and  London." 

So  writes  an  English  author  who  has  carefully  con- 
sidered his  subject. 

To  begin:  it  must  be  remembered  that  Jamaica  has 
practically  no  manufactories  except  those  of  sugar  and 
rum,  and  a  few  products  such  as  the  bamboo,  which  an 
American  at  Black  River  is  extracting  the  fibre  from. 
The  great  bulk  of  what  she  ships  must  be  either  man- 
ufactured goods  In  transit  or  the  natural  products  of 
her  fields  and  groves.  On  the  other  hand  it  is  appar- 
ent that  most  of  the  articles  of  personal  or  household 
use  or  adornment  which  the  dweller  in  Jamaica  uses, 
he  must  import  from  other  countries. 

Who  are  the  parties  most  interested  in  this  question 
of  supply  and  demand  ? 

Of  the  bananas  shipped  from  Jamaica,  out  of  2,881,- 
3 13  bunches,  130  bunches  went,  in  1889,  to  the  United 
Kingdom,  and  2,879,560  to  the  United  States.  Dur- 
ing the  same  time  the  United  States  took  sugar  to  the 
value  of  £176,353,  while  England  took  £32,792 


Commercial  Life  and  Relations.  43 

worth,  and  Canada  £27,632.  Of  rum  (let  our  temper- 
ance readers  note  this)  England  received  1,216,012 
gallons,  while  the  United  States  contented  themselves 
with  37,442  gallons  and  Canada  got  along  with  5,823. 

The  total  exports  from  the  island  during  1888-89 
(which  we  quote  because  the  official  figures  have  not 
yet  been  published  for  '90  at  the  time  this  book  goes 
to  press)  amounted  in  value  to  £  1,614,824,  of  which 
nearly  all  is  reckoned  on  island  produce.  Of  this 
amount  England  paid  £525,118,  and  the  United  States 
£793,310,  after  which  came  France,  Germany,  Canada 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  named. 

There  arrived  from  Great  Britain  during  that  last 
year  58  steamers  and  17  sailing  vessels  with  an  aggre- 
gate tonnage  (vessels  in  ballast  only  excluded)  of 
97,239;  from  the  United  States  of  America  276  steam- 
ers and  57  sail,  the  tonnage  being  167,102.  The  vessels 
that  cleared  during  this  period  registered  as  follows : 
To  Great  Britain  118,032  tons:  to  the  United  States 
207,169  tons.  For  the  past  10  years, 


IMPORTS. 

1879-80 ..£1,475,197 

1880-81 1,342,699 

1881-82 1,321,962 

1882-83 1,625,411 

1883-84 1,568,639 

1884-85 1,487,833 

1885-86 1,325,603 

1886-87 1,351.394 

1887-88 1,695,605 

1888-89 1,597,600 


EXPORTS. 

1879-80 £ 

1880-81 

1881-82 

1882-83 

1883-84 


,512,978 

,178,594 
,549,058 
,469,446 

,483,989 
1884-85 ,408,848 


1885-86 ,280,118 

1886-87 ,509,010 

1887-88 1,828,590 

1888-89 1,614,823 


The   imports  were   drawn  as  follows  during  the  last 
two  years  : 


44  The  New  Jamaica. 

1887-88.    1888-89. 

United  Kingdom 62.8  55. 

United  States 27.7  33.9 

Canada 6.6  9.8 

Other  Countries 2.9  1.3 

This  shows  a  marked  increase  made  by  the  United 
States  of  America  and  Canada  during  one  year.  There 
was  a  decrease  in  most  of  the  staples  of  exports  over 
the  maximum  figures  of  the  year  before,  but  an 
increase  over  previous  years.  The  trade  with  the 
United  States  is  unquestionably  growing. 

It  may  surprise  the  Northerner — British  or  Ameri- 
can— to  learn  that  one  of  the  largest  trade  correspon- 
dents, next  to  those  we  have  been  figuring  upon,  is  the 
United  States  of  Columbia. 

There  is  a  moral  to  all  this.  Whether  Canada  has 
understood  it  better  than  other  countries  and  shown 
her  appreciation  of  the  situation  by  applying  for  more 
space  at  the  coming  exhibition,  is  a  matter  for  consid- 
eration. Certainly  the  trade  with  an  island  containing 
600,000  souls  (and  bodies  as  well)  is  an  item  well 
worth  considering  by  any  nation. 

The  recent  publication  of  figures  showing  the  in- 
crease of  certain  exports  in  July,  1890,  over  the  cor- 
responding month  of  the  previous  year,  encourages  us 
to  believe  that  the  advance  is  a  steady  and  healthy 
one  ;  although  in  a  few  cases  there  has  been  a  slight 
falling  off  in  quantity,  as  is  the  case  with  cocoanuts. 
There  has  been  an  increase  in  the  coffee  export  of 
nearly  one  half,  and  hides  show  about  the  same  pro- 
portional advance.  Sugar,  fruit  and  rum  have  also 


Commercial  Life  and  Relations.  45 

increased.  Bananas  especially  show  a  total  of  445,512 
bunches  shipped  to  the  United  States  and  Canada  as 
against  301,991  bunches  in  July,  1889. 

Very  lately  a  gentleman  who  has  interested  himself 
in  oyster  culture  has  been  endeavoring  to  influence 
capital  in  that  direction.  He  has  taken  the  native 
Jamaican  oyster  north  for  examination  and  trial,  and 
in  return  imports  a  number  of  the  bivalves  for  trans- 
planting in  Caribbean  water. 

Manufacturers  of  Jamaica  do  not  yet  afford  any 
appreciable  part  of  her  exports.  The  bamboo  fibre 
works  at  Black  River  have  made  a  beginning,  which  is 
mainly  significant  of  what  may  be  done  with  raw 
products  in  the  island.  In  Manchester  a  saw  mill 
company  has  been  recently  established,  capable  of 
turning  out  5,000  feet  of  boards  per  diem.  A  very 
small  amount  of  shipbuilding  is  carried  on,  principally 
at  St.  Ann's  Bay. 

The  staple  manufactures  are  sugar  and  rum.  The 
crushing  of  the  cane  and  extraction  of  sap  from  which 
the  sugar  is  made,  and  the  refuse  of  which  furnishes 
the  material  for  rum  distillation,  are  carried  on  every- 
where throughout  the  island.  From  the  primitive 
bamboo  frame,  mill  and  mule  walk  beside  some  moun- 
tain hut,  to  the  "  Wetzel,"  "  Aspinwall  "  or  "  vacuum  " 
apparatus  and  centrifugal  drying  process  in  use  on  the 
great  estates,  the  joint  production  of  sweet  and  strong 
goes  on.  Jamaica's  export  of  these  two  products  ag- 
gregates between  £300,000  and  £400,000  a  year  in  value. 

The  working  day  for  outdoor  laborers  is  supposed 
to  be  ten  hours,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kingston,  and 


46  The  New  Jamaica. 

eight  hours  in  the  country.  Mechanics  get  from  2s.  ^d. 
to  5^.  6d.  a  day  ;  male  laborers  is.  6d.  to  2s.  and  women 
9^/.  to  is.  A  team  of  two  mules,  with  driver,  costs  Js. 
per  diem. 

But  much  of  the  work,  especially  in  the  country,  is 
done  by  what  is  known  as  "  task  work,"  evidently  a 
survival  of  the  slave  days  ;  the  prices  for  which  are 
generally  low,  except  for  certain  branches  of  building 
and  masonry  work.  There  is  a  scarcity  of  skilled 
labor.  The  sugar  estates  find  common  laborers  scarce 
and  the  government  works  are  over  supplied. 

Jamaica  consumes  a  great  deal  of  material  produced 
and  manufactured  in  other  countries.  As  already  shown 
she  receives  most  from  Great  Britain  and  sends  most 
to  the  United  States.  Nevertheless  it  is  easy  to  find 
all  of  the  necessaries  and  most  of  the  luxuries  of  mod- 
ern life,  American  as  well  as  English,  at  moderate 
prices  in  most  of  the  principal  towns.  The  food  sup- 
ply is  ample  and  cheap,  fruit  being  especially  so.  In 
general,  prices  compare  favorably  with  those  of  north- 
ern countries,  even  for  imported  goods. 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION. 


IN  September,  1889,  Mr.  William  Favvcett  brought 
before  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Jamaica  Institute 
a  proposition  "for  holding  an  exhibition  in  Jamaica, 
illustrative  of  its  natural  products  and  their  manufact- 
ure, combined  with  a  loan  art  exhibition."  A  plan, 
elaborated  from  Mr.  Fawcett's  report,  was  prepared 
by  the  board  and  laid  before  the  governor.  His 
Excellency  entered  heartily  into  the  plan  and  has 
given  it  his  unstinted  support  from  that  hour  to  this, 
leaving  no  stone  unturned  to  insure  its  entire  success. 

A  meeting  of  Kingston  gentlemen 'with  the  governor, 
in  the  library,  was  held  on  the  iQth  of  September  ; 
the  subject  was  thoroughly  discussed  at  that  time,  and 
the  pledges  of  support  made  by  those  present  gave 
evidence  of  the  faith  which  representative  Jamaicans 
have  in  their  island's  capabilities  and  progress. 

The  following  resolutions  were  agreed  to  at  that 
meeting:  "  1st.  That  the  other  West  Indian  colonies 
be  invited  to  send  such  exhibits  as  will  clearly  indicate 
the  great  resources  of  these  colonies.  2d.  That  special 
exhibits  be  invited  from  England  and  other  countries 
with  which  we  trade.  3d.  That,  in  order  to  provide 
the  necessary  funds  for  carrying  out  the  project  in  a 
thoroughly  effectual  manner,  gentlemen  of  the  island 


48  The  JVew  Jamaica. 

be  asked  to  become  guarantors  to  the  extent  of  £10 
each  and  upwards." 

Working  committees  were  soon  appointed  by  the 
executive  committee,  an  act  of  incorporation  was 
passed,  and  commissioners,  appointed  by  the  governor, 
began  to  make  preparations  for  the  event. 

At  the  commissioners'  first  meeting  Quebec  Lodge 
was  recommended  as  a  site  by  the  building  committee. 
A  set  of  plans  and  estimates  was  also  submitted>  the 
whole  to  cost  above  ;£  14,000. 

The  site  of  the  building  (Quebec  Lodge)  is  to  the 
north  of  the  race -course,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Kingston  harbor  and  two  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea. 

The  building  is  of  Moorish  architecture,  the  central 
nave  511  x  40  feet,  and  side  aisles  making  the  width  Si 
feet.  The  transepts  are  174  feet  long  and  the  same 
breadth  as  nave  and  aisles.  The  height  of  the  dome 
is  1 14  and  the  minarets  74  feet.  It  is  a  wooden 
building,  well  protected,  and  provided  with  escapes  for 
fire,  etc.  The  long  balconies  will  be  used  as  prome- 
nades. The  main  entrance  is  at  the  east  end,  and  a 
carriage  way  at  the  south.  The  grounds  are  hand- 
somely laid  out  with  ornamental  walks,  gardens  and 
buildings.  A  band  stand,  concert  hall,  Jamaica  village, 
and  separate  exhibits  will  add  to  the  attractiveness  of 
the  exhibition. 

For  months  the  Half-way  Tree  road  has  been  the 
scene  of  the  transportation  of  giant  palm  trees  and 
other  plants,  which,  en  route 'to  the  exhibition  grounds, 
are  being  drawn  by  patient  ox-teams.  The  display  of 


The  Industrial  Exhibition.  49 

tropical  trees  and  plants  will  be  one  of  the  great  feat- 
ures of  the  exhibition  for  the  visitor  from  the  North. 

The  guarantee  fund  at  the  end  of  June,  was  officially 
reported  to  be  .£27,079  iCtf.  od.  Of  this  the  largest 
amount  came  from  Kingston  and  the  next  from  St. 
Catherine,  the  smallest  being  from  Hanover  and 
Trelawney. 

Conversing  with  the  guarantors,  there  seems  to  be  a 
general  impression  among  them  that  they  will  lose  the 
money  subscribed,  yet  we  have  not  found  one  who  re- 
grets lending  a  hand,  or  who  doubts  the  ultimate 
benefit  that  Jamaica  will  receive  from  the  fair. 

The  advance  that  the  banks  refused  to  make  in 
December  of  last  year  (1889)  private  parties  supplied, 
with  that  generosity  which  has  been  characteristic  of 
those  interested  in  this  enterprise.  Mr.  Stiebel  loaned 
£5000,  Colonel  Ward  followed  suit  with  a  similar  sum, 
and  Mr.  Verley  completed  the  £15,000. 

The  government  sanctioned  an  advance  of  another 
£15,000  from  the  public  treasury.  This  £30,000,  the 
estimated  cost,  was  secured,  £25,000  at  3$,  and  the 
remainder  at  6$. 

Committees  in  various  countries  have  been  charged 
with  the  work  of  forwarding  the  interests  of  the 
exhibition.  In  Canada  the  committee  has  done  very 
good  and  efficient  work,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  re- 
sults. The  people  of  the  United  States  have  never 
been  averse  to  entering  largely  into  such  an  enterprise 
as  this  when  it  is  properly  represented.  Yet  the 
Jamaica  exhibition  will  be  almost  entirely  without  a 
showing  from  the  United  States. 


50  The  New  Jamaica. 

All  exhibits  will  be  arranged  under  the  following 
groups. 

Group  i.   Raw  Material. 

Group  2.  Implements  for  obtaining  Raw  Material. 

Group  3.  Machines  and  processes  used  in  preparing 
and  making  up  the  Raw  Material  into  finished  prod- 
ucts. 

Group  4.  Manufactured  goods. 

Group  5.  Education. 

Group  6.  Fine  arts,  literature,  science. 

Motive  power  to  the  extent  of  100  horse-power  will 
be  provided  by  the  commissioners,  free  of  charge  ;  but 
all  counter  shafting,  pulleys,  and  connection  with  the 
main  steam  pipe  must  by  provided  by  exhibitors. 
The  exhibition  will  be  open  to  the  public  on  the  27th 
of  January,  1891. 

There  was  at  first  a  great  deal  of  misunderstanding 
among  the  peasantry  as  to  the  object  of  the  exhibition. 
A  common  belief  in  some  quarters  was  that  the  gov- 
ernment wants  to  find  gut  what  they  possess  in  order 
to  tax  them  more  heavily.  Poor  souls  !  many  of  them 
have  not  yet  learned  what  the  government  is  trying 
nobly  to  teach  them,  that  power  and  benificence  may  go 
hand  in  hand.  Owing  to  the  strenuous  efforts  being 
made  by  his  Excellency  and  his  supporters,  the  lesson 
is,  we  trust,  gradually  being  learned. 

The  application  of  Austria  for  four  thousand  square 
feet  of  space  for  exhibits,  led  to  the  serious  considera- 
tion of  the  question  of  new  buildings.  The  result  of 
this  has  been  the  erection  of  additional  annexes. 
There  are  now  several  structures  besides  the  main  one 


The  Industrial  Exhibition.  51 

already  described.  A  pavilion  for  the  special  exhibits 
under  the  direction  of  one  large  firm  is  noticeable  for 
its  beauty.  An  amusement  hall,  erected  for  theatri- 
cal performances  to  be  furnished  by  an  English  com- 
pany, and  capable  of  seating  a  large  audience  is  also  a 
recent  feature. 

A  large  annex  for  general  exhibits  was  decided  upon 
in  September,  its  dimensions  to  be  400  by  40  feet.  The 
machinery  hall  measures  100  by  50  feet,  and  its  cost 
is  £500.  All  the  annexes  as  well  as  the  main  build- 
ings, have  been  provided  with  electric  lighting  appar- 
atus. 

The  available  space  in  the  main  building  is  40,000 
square  feet.  As  England  required  at  least  5000 
feet  of  this ;  Canada  8000 ;  Austria  4000  and  other 
countries  15,000,  and  Jamaica  runs  the  amount  of 
space  required  up  to  50,000  square  feet,  exclusive  of 
20,000  feet  of  walking  space,  the  necessity  for  the 
annexes  will  be  apparent. 

In  the  extensive  grounds  the  visitor  will  find  an 
electric  railway,  a  toboggan  slide,  merry  go  round, 
etc.  An  artificial  lake  with  "  leviathan  "  for  passen- 
gers has  been  furnished  by  Col.  Forster  of  New  York. 
The  extension  of  the  grounds,  which  makes  a  further 
encroachment  upon  the  forty-five  acres  of  the  race 
grounds,  renders  these  additional  attractions  and  dis- 
plays possible. 

To  the  delight  of  many  who  thought  the  outdoor 
space  at  first  allotted  inadequate,  the  acquisition  of 
additional  ground  was  also  made  early  in  the  autumn. 
This  of  course  gave  opportunity  for  an  increased 


52  The  New  Jamaica. 

floral  and  arboreal  display.  Although  not  completed 
when  this  work  goes  to  press,  enough  has  been  done 
to  convince  those  who  have  had  an  opportunity  to 
note  the  progress  of  this  garden  that  it  will  equal 
in  tropical  beauty  and  luxuriance,  anything  that  the 
world  has  produced  in  modern  times. 

The  Austrian  exhibit,  we  are  informed,  will  be 
arranged  by  artists  from  Europe,  sent  especially  to 
attend  to  this  work. 

England's  grant  of  ;£  10,000  has  been  a  great  benefit 
to  the  exhibition.  The  refusal  of  the  United  States 
to  show  any  interest  in  the  matter  is  one  of  those  evi- 
dences of  want  of  foresight  that  is  to  be  deplored. 
Whatever  has  been  done  by  American  exiiibitors  has 
been  without  the  encouragement  of  their  government. 

Among  the  curious  exhibits  recently  noted  has 
been  one  by  the  military  department  and  another  by 
the  English  Post  Office  Department.  The  West 
India  Islands  have  been  well  represented  and  in  fact 
there  has  been  no  lack  of  effort  to  push  this  great 
undertaking  to  a  successful  conclusion. 

The  local  shows,  which  in  Clarendon,  Portland, 
Hanover  and  elsewhere  have  aided  greatly  in  awaken- 
ing interest  and  enthusiasm  in  the  people  of  the 
island,  have  proven  by  the  result  the  wisdom  of  those 
who  urged  them  on.  The  Clarendon  Exhibition  or 
"show"  held  at  May  Pen,  was  quite  successful.  The 
river,  which  was  dry  when  we  last  saw  it,  had  consider- 
able water  flowing  in  the  middle  of  September  and 
this  added  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  place  for  visi- 
tors. 


The  Indus  trial  Exhibition.  53 

After  considerable  debate  about  the  Portland  fair, 
at  Port  Antonio,  it  was  decided  to  hold  it  in  the  fort. 

What  the  outcome  of  Jamaica's  great  industrial 
exhibition  will  be  remains  to  be  shown.  We  have 
little  doubt  of  its  success.  It  has  already  awakened 
some  who  were  in  a  state  of  lethargy,  and  has  even 
now  begun  to  rouse  a  spirit  of  emulation  which  cannot 
fail  to  be  beneficial  to  the  people  at  large. 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  SUN, 


THE  third  hottest  city  in  the 
world — that  is  what  Kingston  is 
sometimes  called,  and  there  are 
very  many  people  who  class  it 
with  some  of  the  dreaded  South 
American  fever  nests,  where  those 
who  are  not  to  the  manner  born 
often  succumb  to  the  power  of  a 
vertical  sun. 

The  fact  is  that  either  a  very 
wrong  impression  has  been  created 
by  such  estimates  as  those  of 
Trollope  and  others  who  have 
followed  him  during  the  last  forty 
years,  or  else  the  world's  capacity 
to  provide  hot  places  has  been  hugely  overestimated, 


A  City   Under  the  Sun.  55 

for  certainly  a  large  and  contented  foreign  population 
make  Kingston  their  temporary  habitat,  and,  with  a 
little  attention  to  the  commonest  hygienic  laws,  are 
not  only  able  to  exist,  but  to  be  comfortable. 

Another  false  impression  given  is  that  the  streets 
are  all  bad  ;  and  a  third,  that  the  rainy  season  is  apt 
to  overtake  the  unsuspecting  Northern  foreigner  with 
diluvian  intensity,  and  make  the  Jamaican  metropolis 
a  repetition  of  Venice. 

The  fact  is  that  Kingston  may  have  sixty  showers 
in  the  course  of  a  twelvemonth,  a  large  percentage  of 
the  annual  rainfall  having  been  known  to  occur  in  a 
very  few  hours.  While  the  showers  last,  owing  to  the 
backing  of  high  hills  which  the  city  has,  the  flood  de- 
scends as  soon  as  the  rains  fall,  and  the  immediate  and 
pleasant  result  is  that  the  drains  and  gutters  are  thus 
flushed,  to  the  preservation  of  health  and  the  conser- 
vation of  comfort. 

Indeed,  a  wise  and  careful  Providence  has  sent  three 
agents  to  purify  this  old  city  and  make  it  comfortably 
habitable  ;  these  are  the  rains,  the  Doctor,  and  John 
Crow.  By  the  Doctor  the  Jamaican  means  the 
breeze  that  pays  a  morning  and  an  evening  visit,  laden 
with  comfort  and  life.  John  Crow  is  the  first  being  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  tourist,  even  before  he 
falls  into  the  clutches  of  those  fiends,  the  cabmen,  at 
the  wharf.  John  has  a  leisurely,  familiar  way  with 
him.  If  life  is  worth  living,  it  is  at  least  not  worth 
hurrying  for,  in  his  estimation.  Black  of  coat,  ragged 
of  wing,  red  as  to  head,  and  heavy  in  flight,  besides 
being  misnamed  "  vulture"  poor  John  Crow  is  pro- 


56  The  New  Jamaica. 

tected  by  law  as  a  useful  scavenger.  Sometimes 
people  call  him  the  street-cleaner.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  buzzard  connection,  but  with  a  lurid  head  and  ruff 
of  feathers  encircling  his  bare  neck  that  suggest  the 
vulture.  No  one  has  taken  the  census  of  the  John 
Crow  tribe,  but  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  their  number 
reaches  far  into  the  thousands.  It  is  almost  impossi- 
ble to  look  upward  without  seeing  several  of  them  at 
once  ;  they  come  down  within  a  few  feet  of  one,  if 
there  is  any  inducement  offered,  and  roost  in  the  trees 
about  a  house  at  night,  or  do  their  dreaming  upon 
your  fence  or  ridge-pole. 

At  first  the  Northerner  receives  a  multitude  of  im- 
pressions that  clamor  to  be  assorted  and  classified. 
He  is  amused,  interested,  perhaps  disgusted,  with  the 
extortionate  cabman  who  sees  in  every  stranger  a  pos- 
sible victim.  But  if  the  new-comer  falls  as  we  did,  into 
such  hands  as  those  of  Old  Joe,  his  wounded  feelings 
are  speedily  soothed  and  his  mind  set  at  rest.  There 
are  servants  and  servants  in  Kingston  as  elsewhere. 
Among  servants,  Old  Joe  stands  pre-eminent.  His 
kind,  wrinkled  face  "is  wreathed  in  a  perpetual  smile. 
His  aged  hands  are  clasped  and  unclasped  as  he  bows 
slightly  over  them  while  he  talks.  There  is  comfort  in 
his  attention  at  the  table,  and  consolation  to  the  home- 
sick, all-alone  traveller  in  the  way  he  enters  your  room 
after  the  boots  in  the  morning,  and  "  hopes  Maastah  is 
well  this  maanin'."  We  have  seldom  heard  the  broad 
"a"  of  the  local  dialect  sound  so  musically  in  any 
one's  mouth. 

Do  you    imagine  Joe  is  a  myth?     For  a  truth  we 


A  City   Under  the  Sun.  57 

wish  all  myths  of  the  better  kind  were  as  real  and  true. 
No  one  has  engendered  more  of  a  comforting  faith  in 
humanity  for  many  and  many  a  day  than  this  kind  old 
ignorant  brown  man.  Did  he  not  see  that  A  was 
lonely  and  try  to  amuse  him  ;  that  B  was  curious  and 
grateful  for  enlightenment  on  many  points,  and  that 
poor  P.  (having  imprudently  challenged  the  midday  sun 
in  heavy  clothing  and  black  hat)  had  caught  a  fever  and 
needed  nursing?  Day  after  day,  when  the  patient 
in  his  weakness  and  loneliness  was  calling  for  the  ab- 
sent wife,  the  faithful  old  servitor  found  time  from  his 
multiform  duties  to  wait  on  and  watch  him.  Night 
after  night  did  he  not  sleep  within  call  on  the  floor  of 
the  piazza  at  the  threshold  of  the  sick-room? 

When  you  come  to  Jamaica  you  must  find  Joe. 

There  is  constant  variety  and  surprise  in  the  negro 
character.  There  was  John  Williams,  for  instance, 
whose  cheerful  salutation,  "  I  come,  sah  !  "  was  as  en- 
livening as  his  smile.  But,  in  the  language  of  one  of 
his  companions,  John  Williams  "  done  a  crime,  sah," 
and  we  saw  him  no  more.  His  last  "I  gone  "  was 
prophetic.  We  missed  the  cheerful,  ingenious  chatter 
and  barbarous  dialect  with  which  he  regaled  us  as  he 
sat,  or  rather  reclined,  on  the  floor,  with  his  bundle  of 
papers  beside  him. 

Kingston  in  itself  is  a  city  of  moderate  attractions 
to  one  who  is  accustomed  to  tropical  ways  and  growths. 
Of  course  the  tourist  who  comes  here  first  cannot  fail 
to  be  impressed  by  the  vegetation,  many  fruit  trees 
showing  their  heads  over  the  houses,  and  the  palm 
towering  everywhere  with  its  long,  branch-like  leaves 


58  The  New  Jamaica. 

incessantly  moving.  He  must  be  interested  in  build- 
ings very  different  from  anything  he  has  seen  before, 
and  manners  and  customs  so  strikingly  novel.  The 
women  working  the  streets  with  hoe  or  shovel ;  the 
lazy  negro  messengers,  bearing  whatever  burdens  they 
may  have  on  their  heads ;  the  black  policeman,  the 
pretty  Creole  girl,  the  wrinkled  venders  of  fruits  or 
sweets  who  are  lingering  in  the  cool,  distinct  shadow 
which  some  porch  paints  on  the  white,  glaring  street — 
all  appeal  to  us  as  types  of  an  unfamiliar  life. 

Yonder  comes  a  .brown  soldier  with  turban,  tight 
jacket,  and  Zouave  rigging  aft.  Near  him  is  a  coolie 
woman,  who  is  gorgeously  apparelled,  her  small  head 
decorated  with  gaudy  kerchief  and  ornaments  of  silver, 
her  lithe  body  wrapped  in  parti-colored  garments,  broad 
bracelets  of  silver  and  anklets  of  the  same  upon  her 
bare  arms  and  brown  ankles. 

Then  one  listens  with  interest  to  the  various  street 
cries,  each  one  ending  with  "  gwine  by  ;  "which  is  doubt- 
less a  reminder  that  all  things  in  this  world  are  but  tran- 
sitory after  all.  A  clergyman  could  preach  quite  a  ser- 
mon on  "  gwine  by."  Or  what  a  splendid  chance  for  the 
temperance  lecturer  to  take  his  text  from  the  call  that 
rouses  him  in  the  morning — "  Wi*  pi',  chapai  pi,  whiskey 
bot'l  gwf  by."  Could  you  guess  that,  when  translated, 
this  means — "  Wine  pint,  champagne  pint,  whiskey  bot- 
tle ;  going  by,"  and  that  the  enigma  is  uttered  by  a 
woman  whose  business  is  the  collecting  of  bottles  ? 

Hoping  to  find  something  especially  characteristic, 
a  small  party  visited  the  Roman  Catholic  church  one 
evening  when  the  bishop  was  announced  to  preach. 


A  City   Under  the  Sun.  59 

The  auditorium  was  well  filled,  for  though  Jamaica  is 
not  a  Catholic  country  there  are  a  number  of  that  sect. 
The  cathedral  is  rather  a  fine  one,  and  the  altar,  rich 
with  color  and  brilliant  with  the  light  of  many 
candles,  made  a  fine  background  for  the  aco- 
lytes in  scarlet  and  white,  or  the  priests  decked  in  the 
emblems  of  clerical  rank.  After  considerable  prelim- 
inary exercises,  which  the  uninitiated  stranger  could  not 
be  expected  to  understand,, and  an  antiphony  which 
was  more  attractive,  presently  there  was  a  great  swing- 
ing of  censers,  and  his  grace  the  bishop  appeared,  two 
pages  holding  the  hem  of  his  garment. 

Soon  followed  the  surprise  of  the  evening:  a  plain, 
practical,  common-sense  talk,  worded  so  that  the  hum- 
blest of  his  hearers  could  understand  it,  and  full  of  a 
most  tolerant  spirit.  In  the  course  of  it,  while  dwel- 
ling upon  those  virtues — especially  charity — which  the 
preacher  believed  to  be  pre-eminently  characteristic  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  he  distinctly  stated  that  he  did 
not  know  how  far  they  were  carried  out  in  other 
churches,  and  said  that  the  idea  of  being  angry  with 
another  because  of  difference  of  belief  was  irrational 
and  wicked. 

In  making  a  tour  of  the  city's  buildings  and  points 
of  interest,  one  is  attracted  sooner  or  later  to  the  mu- 
seum and  library,  the  latter  containing  at  present  about 
twelve  thousand  volumes,  among  which  are  a  number 
of  rare  old  books  and  pamphlets  upon  the  history,  geog- 
raphy, natural  history,  botany,  etc.,  etc.,  of  Jamaica. 
Jamaica-ana  is  not  a  pretty-looking  word,  but  that  is 
what  we  mean.  The  library  is  rich  in  that  sort  of 


60  The  New  Jamaica. 

thing,  and  the  obliging  custodians  of  these  treasures 
are  very  ready  to  assist  the  delver  after  old  records. 
And  what  a  field  is  here  presented  !  We  go  back  to 
the  days  of  Spanish  rule,  of  piratic  atrocity,  of  English 
occupancy,  and  of  slave  insurrection.  Penn  and  Veh- 
ables,  Morgan,  the  greatest  pirate  that  ever  lived  and 
the  great  earthquake  that  destroyed  Port  Royal  in  a 
moment,  all  seem  to  be  brought  to  our  very  time. 

Down  in  the  museum  is  a  gruesome  relic  that  was 
dug  up  nearly  a  generation  ago.  It  is  a  cage  of  strap 
iron,  so  constructed  as  to  fit  the  human  body,  with 
bands  around  the  neck,  breast  and  loins,  bars  and  stir- 
rups.for  the  legs  and  feet  (the  last  having  sharp  spikes 
to  press  into  the  soles  of  the  occupant's  feet),  and  a 
ring  at  the  top  of  the  structure  to  suspend  it  by.  This 
awful  instrument  of  a  fiendish  tyranny  contained,  when 
exhumed,  the  bones  of  a  woman,  who  had  without 
doubt  thus  satisfied  the  malice  of  an  enemy,  or,  more 
likely  still,  the  barbarous  passion  of  a  master  to  whom 
the  life  of  a  slave  was  a  thing  of  less  value  than  that 
of  his  dog, 

Kingston  was  originally  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross. 
King  Street,  running  north  and  south,  crossed  Queen 
Street,  which  is  laid  east  and  west.  At  their  intersec- 
tion is  the  "  parade  ground,"  a  pleasant  little  park 
with  trees  and  fountain,  tastefully  arranged  walks  and 
flower  gardens  ;  a  favorite  resting-place  for  the  people 
after  the  heat  of  the  day  is  done.  King  and  Queen 
Streets  are  each  sixty-six  feet  wide.  The  town  has 
grown  since  they  were  laid  out,  to  the  northward  and 
eastward  of  the  Plaza. 


A  City   Under  the  Sun.  61 

Kingston  is  not  only  the  metropolis  and  capital  of 
Jamaica,  it  is  also  the  most  important  city  in  the 
British  West  Indies.  Its  population  number  individ- 
uals of  nearly  every  race,  English  and  Americans 
predominating  among  the  whites.  It  was  built,  as  be- 
fore stated,  immediately  after  the  destruction  of  Port 
Royal.  For  years  the  city  possessed  a  charter  and  a 
seal,  but  surrendered  them  when  the  ancient  rights  of 
the  island  were  given  up  in  Governor  Eyre's  time.  It 
has  been  visited  during  its  history  by  four  great  fires. 
The  first,  in  1780,  caused  a  loss  estimated  at  ,£30,000. 
The  second,  in  1843,  swept  the  city  from  the  east  end 
of  Harbour  Street  to  the  Catholic  chapel  at  the  end  of 
Duke  Street.  The  third  fire  occurred  in  1862,  and 
burned  down  stores,  wharves  and  other  property  valued 
at  £90,000.  The  fourth  was  in  1882,  a  disaster  still 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  residents,  who  lost  their  all  there. 
Six  thousand  people  were  rendered  homeless  by  this 
conflagration,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  business  part 
of  the  town  burned  over.  A  great  many,  even  of 
those  who  suffered  at  the  time,  consider  now  that 
the  fire  was  a  blessing,  since  the  rebuilt  streets  are 
finer  and  -more  substantial  than  they  were  pre- 
viously. 

The  city  no  longer  draws  its  water  supply  from  the 
precarious  source  of  wells  and  cisterns,  as  formerly. 
About  1848  a  private  company  brought  water  from 
the  Hope  River,  and  to  this  supply  has  since  been 
added  that  from  the  Wag  Water.  The  pressure  is 
sufficient  for  all  fire  purposes  and  the  system  of  filtra- 
tion used  results  in  a  supply  for  drinking  purposes 


62  The  JVew  Jamaica. 

that  probably  no-.tropical  city  in  the  world  can  excel, 
and  few  can  equal. 

In  the  year  1872,  the  seat  of  government  was 
removed  from  Spanish  Town  to  Kingston  :  a  move 
the  wisdom  of  which  we  venture  to  doubt,  since  the 
contingencies  of  war,  riot,  or  conflagration  would 
first  menace  the  larger  city,  interfere  with  the  public 
business  and  endanger  the  official  records. 

At  the  last  census  the  population  numbered  be- 
tween thirty-five  and  forty  thousand  people.  Several 
building  societies  do  a  large  business.  Banks,  life  and 
fire  assurance  companies  and  discount  associations 
flourish.  Ice  is  manufactured  and  sold  at  the  uniform 
price  of  seventy  cents  per  hundred  pounds,  and  elec- 
tric lights  are  beginning  to  take  the  place  of  gas  in 
the  principal  buildings  and  will  soon  supplant  it  in  the 
streets.  Street  cars,  drawn  by  mules,  traverse  the 
principal  thoroughfares. 

Among  Kingston's  buildings,  the  finest  are  the 
Victoria  Market,  at  the  foot  of  King  Street  ;  the  hos- 
pital, on  North  Street ;  the  Colonial  Bank,  on  Duke 
Street  ;  the  old  parish  church,  on  King  Street,  near 
the  Parade,  in  which  Admiral  Benbow  is  buried,  and 
where  Ivalf  the  historical  events  of  the  last  two  centu- 
ries centre  ;  the  colonial  secretary's  office,  and  that 
group  of  buildings  between  Church  and  East  Streets, 
and  the  library  and  museum,  to  which  reference  has 
already  been  made  elsewhere.  The  new  building 
erected  for  the  exhibition  will  be  described  more  fully 
in  a  separate  chapter.  It  is  erected  on  the  race  course 
grounds,  beyond  the  city  limits. 


A  City   Under  the  Sun. 


64  The  Neiv  Jamaica. 

The  principal  approaches  to  Kingston  are  by  the 
Jamaica  railway  and  the  Spanish  Town  road  on  the 
west  ;  the  Halfway-Tree  road  on  the  north  side,  and 
the  Windward  road  on  the  east.  lit  fronts  on  a  fine 
harbor.  The  lines  of  the  Jamaica  Tramway  Company 
are  laid  from  the  foot  of  King  Street  to  Constant 
Spring,  by  way  of  Orange  Street,  the  Slipe  Pen  Road 
and  Halfway-Tree ;  to  the  top  of  East  Street ;  to  Par- 
adise Street  on  the  Windward  Road ;  to  the  General 
Penitentiary  at  Rae  Town  ;  to  the  Jamaica  Railway, 
and  to  the  May  Pen  Cemetery  on  the  road  to  Span- 
ish Town ;  and  cars  run  on  the  lines  at  intervals  of 
twenty  minutes. 

There  is  a  fine  statue  to  Sir  Charles  Metcalfe  stand- 
ing at  the  King  Street  entrance  to  the  Parade.  "The 
Falmouth  Court-house  possesses  a  full  length  por- 
trait of  the  same  estimable  governor.  The  only 
difficulty  with  these  works  of  art  is  that  they  do  not 
resemble  each  other.  Other  statues  are  those  of  the 
Hon.  Edward  Jordon,  C.  B.,  and  Dr.  Lewis  Q.  Bower- 
bank.  In  their  anxiety  to  protect  these  works  of  art 
from  the  vandalism  of  advertisers,  the  authorities  have 
caused  notices  to  be  placed  on  each  one  in  which  the 
words  "  Bill  Stickers,"  appear  in  such  large  type  that 
they  are  noticeable  at  quite  a  distance.  Now  it  hap- 
pens that  in  the  city  of  Boston,  some  years  ago  there 
was  a  notorious  character  by  the  name  of  Bill  Stickers. 
The  story  is  told  that  not  long  ago,  a  northern  visitor 
stopped  in  front  of  Sir  Charles'  effigy  and  exclaimed, 
"  I  knew  that  Bill  Stickers  was  dead,  but  I  never  sup- 
posed they  would  erect  a  monument  over  him." 


A  City   Under  the  Sun.  65 

A  word  about  Kingston  shops,  and  that  means 
Jamaican  shops  generally.  A  few  have  fixed  prices  ; 
the  many  have  not  yet  arrived  at  that  pitch  of  mer- 
cantile perfection,  and  the  stranger  should  be  wary 
about  purchasing  of  a  house  he  does  not  know,  until 
he  has  learned  enough  of  values  to  enable  him  to 
estimate  for  himself  the  worth  of  what  he  would  buy. 
Clothing  is  generally  much  cheaper  than  in  America. 
Books  cost  less,  usually.  Food  supplies  are  cheaper, 
with  the  exception  of  meats  and  poultry,  which  are 
nearly  the  same.  Fruits  are  especially  low  in  price. 
Generally  the  cost  of  living  is  not  so  great  as  in  the 
North  in  the  most  favorable  season  of  the  year.  The 
rates  for  'bus  hire  or  car  fare  within  city  limits  are  6d. 
One  is  besieged  by  beggars  and  small  boys,  who 
proffer  all  sorts  of  service  for  "  quattie,"  or  one-quar- 
ter of  6d.  Labor  wages  are  lower  than  those  of  the 
United  States,  and  higher  than  in  England. 

Kingston  has  about  a  dozen  lodging  houses  and  as 
many  taverns,  where  board  and  lodging  may  be  had 
at  rates  varying  from  35^.  to  6os.  per  week,  or  from  £1 
to  £2  2s.  a.  day.  The  new  hotel,  erected  in  the  site  of 
the  old  Myrtle  Bank,  on  the  south  side  of  Harbour 
Street ;  and  Park  Lodge  Hotel,  in  Burketown,  on  East 
Queen  Street,  are  among  the  best  of  Kingston's  hos- 
telries.  The  first  is  American,  and  the  second  Creole 
in  style. 

There  are  places  of  worship  for  those  of  Roman 
Catholic,  Presbyterian,.  Wesleyan,  Baptist  or  Hebrew 
faith,  besides  the  Church  of  England,  which  here,  as 
in  the  mother  country,  assumes  first  rank. 


PORT  ROYAL 


AROUND  the  wharves 
of  Kingston  are  a  num- 
ber of  small  craft, 
sloop-rigged,  with  great 
length  of  boom  and  no 
great  height  of  mast. 
They  are  not  much  to 
look  at,  but  are  none 
the  less  loudly  lauded 
by  the  black  men 
whose  business  it  is  to 
advertise  them  and  so- 
licit patronage.  In 
spite  of  their  dingy 
appearance  these  little 
vessels  bear  generally 
the  names  of  royal 

personages,  and  we  are  vociferously  informed  that  the 
Queen  will  take  us  safely,  or  we  will  find  the  Princess 
pleasant,  or  else  be  assured  that  the  Marquis  has  first 
claim  to  our  attention  because  of  his  bounding  speed. 
We  feel  that  the  staid  respectability  of  the  Queen 
more  nearly  suits  our  requirements  than  the  giddy 
allurements  of  her  younger  rivals,  and  are  soon 


Port  Royal.  67 

following  a  stalwart  negro  who  is  her  proud 
"  cap'n." 

We  know  of  no  piece  of  water  of  equal  size  that 
presents  as  much  food  for  meditation  as  this  old 
harbor.  Here  lay  the  fleets  of  early  Spanish  explorers 
and  navigators.  Here  were  anchored  the  squadron  of 
Penn  and  Venables,  whose  followers  gave  Jamaica  to 
the  English  in  Cromwell's  day.  It  was  here,  too,  that 
the  most  noted  pirates  and  buccaneers  the  world  has 
ever  known,  Morgan  and  Bartholomew,  and  others  of 
that  ilk,  brought  their  booty  after  the  conquest  of 
Spanish  galleons  and  of  South  American  cities.  Here 
were  landed  the  spoils  of  Panama,  the  ransom  of 
Maracaibo  and  Gibralta,  or  the  gold  and  jewels  and 
silks  wrested  from  rich  merchantmen  bound  to  His- 
paniola.  How  often  have  the  waters  of  Kingston 
harbor  borne  the  sounds  of  unholy  revelry  or  the  hills 
around  echoed  the  sterner  notes  of  strife.  It  was 
beneath  these  waves  that  a  squadron  of  England's 
war  ships  found  a  grave  during  one  of  those  terrible 
and  sudden  hurricanes  that  devastate  these  latitudes. 
The  fast  growing  coral  covers  them  and  the  more 
pacific  hulls  of  trading  vessels  that  have  from  time  to 
time  met  the  same  untoward  fate. 

But  of  all  the  grim  stories  that  the  night  winds  whis- 
per, the  weirdest  is  that  of  the  lost  city  that  went 
down  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  with  her  young  men 
and  maidens,  old  men  and  children  :  with  the  wine  of 
the  feaster  half  drunk  and  the  prayer  of  remorse  half 
said ;  with  unfinished  curse,  uncompleted  crime, 
arrested  cruelty,  in  all  its  splendor  and  guilt. 


68  The  New  Jamaica. 

So  dreaming  and  moralizing  and  balancing  in  our 
little  boat,  whose  chief  merit  seemed  to  be  that  she  for- 
got to  upset  when  her  boom  trailed  in  the  water,  we 
and  our  freight  of  cameras  and  sketch  books  were 
ferried  over  to  the  old  metropolis  of  the  West  Indies. 
There  was  little  of  it  that  we  could  visit,  for  before  we 
landed  we  had  passed  the  walls  and  streets,  the  spires, 
brothels  and  market  places  of  the  olden  time.  Many 
fathoms  beneath  our  boat's  keel  we  knew  they  lay, 
with  sea-weed  growing  in  the  gardens  and  coral  on 
the  walls,  beneath  whose  fretted  roof  the  shark  lurked 
in  the  halls  where  men  had  feasted,  in  the  chambers 
where  maidens  had  slept  and  now  sleep  untroubled  till 
the  last  trump  shall  wake  them. 

After  landing  and  threading  our  way  through  a  suc- 
cession of  narrow  streets,  through  groups  of  dirty 
women  with  smiling  faces  and  clothes  of  more  than 
Grecian  simplicity,  through  companies  of  staring 
children,  of  white  turbaned,  baggy-trousered  colored 
soldiers,  or  of  predatory  goats,  we  skirted  the  barracks 
and  the  high  walls  which  enclosed  the  parade  ground 
and  entered  the  most  interesting  edifice  we  could  find. 
It  was  a  church,  old  and  inviting,  but  not  nearly  as 
old  as  its  reputation  claimed  for  it ;  for  we  had  been 
told  with  all  the  prompt  and  cheerful  inaccuracy 
which  is  characteristic  of  Jamaica,  that  it  had  been 
built  before  the  earthquake. 

Of  course  we  know  that  the  great  Catholic  church 
of  old  Port  Royal  was  somewhere  down  at  the  bottom 
of  the  harbor,  but  it  was  possible  that  this  smaller 
house  of  worship  might  have  been  also  one  of  the 


Port  Royal.  69 

ancient  landmarks.  It  was  a  hope  soon  to  be  dis- 
pelled, however.  Upon  entering,  one  of  the  first 
things  to  meet  the  eye  was  a  marble  tablet  on  the  wall 
at  the  right  of  the  door.  This  tablet  was  framed  by  a 
pair  of  remarkable  black  dolphins  done  in  some  sort  of 
cement,  and  the  old-fashioned  letters  upon  it  chron- 
icled that  the  church  was  built  under  the  direction 
of  two  church  wardens  whose  names  were  then 
immortalized  in  the  years  1725-26.  That  settled  the 
question  of  anti-earthquake  construction,  but  it  could 
not  spoil  the  intrinsic  charm  of  the  old-fashioned  altar 
or  the  delightful  quaintness  of  the  great  mahogany 
piece  of  furniture  that,  adorned  with  candles  and  sup- 
plemented by  a  winding  stairway,  served  as  an  organ 
loft. 

But  perhaps  the  most  fascinating  and  certainly  the 
saddest  things  in  that  old  church,  were  the  constantly 
recurring  mural  tablets  recording  the  virtues  of  the 
many  dead  of  the  English  communion,  whose  last 
breaths  had  been  drawn  far  away  from  home.  Some- 
times sacred  to  the  memory  of  one,  sometimes  of  an 
entire  crew;  this  one  erected  by  the  affection  of 
a  sister,  and  that  by  the  piety  of  a  comrade  ;  four- 
fifths  told  of  victims  to  that  dreaded  scourge,  yellow 
fever.  Judging  by  these  records  it  would  seem  that 
in  the  old  days  Port  Royal  was  a  graveyard  for  the 
British  naval  officers  and  seamen,  a  very  plague  spot 
where  the  hardiest  laid  down  his  life. 

Well,  facts  are  about  the  last  things  that  the  world 
learns,  and  a  surface  indication  of  something,  especially 
if  that  something  is  an  unpleasant  one,  will  generally 


7  o  The  New  Jamaica. 

usurp  the  place  of  valuable  evidence.  The  ancient 
metropolis  was  undoubtedly  the  port  where  many  of 
Great  Britain's  sailors  were  permanently  discharged— 
were  mustered  out  of  the  service  by  that  grim  old 
officer,  death.  But  it  was  also  true  that  for  years 
Great  Britain  had  no  other  marine  hospital  in  that  part 
of  the  world  than  the  one  at  Port  Royal,  so  that 
officers  and  men  from  infected  ports  and  vessels  in 
South  America,  Central  America  and  the  Antilles, 
were  all  brought  to  Jamaica  to  die. 

Vessels  that  had  never  visited  Jamaica  sent  their 
crews  thither  by  other  vessels,  and  the  result 
was  an  importation  of  disease  that  in  most  tropical 
countries  would  have  proved  far  more  disastrous  to 
the  country  at  large.  Still,  these  tablets  shock  the 
visitor. 

Though  we  know  that  things  are  changed  now,  and 
that  the  sanitary  conditions  of  Port  Royal  are  so 
greatly  improved  that  there  is  hardly  a  possibility  of 
a  return  to  the  old  scourge,  yet  one  cannot  avoid  a 
feeling  of  chill  and  fear  almost,  as  he  sees  these  dread- 
ful reminders  of  the  reign  of  the  yellow  death,  three 
and  four  deep,  covering  almost  the  entire  wall  space  of 
this  house  of  worship. 

There  was  a  woman  in  the  church  cleaning  it,  and 
with  her  a  little  round-faced,  big-eyed,  bandy-legged 
girl  of  about  two  or  three  years,  who  looked  at  us  sol- 
emnly, and  then  pattered  away  over  the  tiled  floor  to 
the  protection  of  her  mother. 

When  we  left  this  place  we  went  to  the  lookout,  and 
getting  from  the  negress  in  charge  of  the  premises  a 


Port  Royal.  71 

statement  that,  "  De  hofficer  in  chaage  ain'  heah,  saah, 
but  I  doan'  t'ink  he  objec'  to  you  goin'  up,"  we  as- 
cended, taking  care  to  leave  the  camera  below,  but 
smuggling  a  sketch  book.  The  view  from  the  top  of 
that  tower  was  well  worth  sketching.  There  were 
not  only  the  military  works  of  Port  Royal,  and  the 


more  or  less  modern  houses  that  we  tried  in  vain  to 
think  might  cover  the  six  thousand  population  that  is 
claimed  for  this  ancient  town,  but  beyond  them  we 
could  also  see  the  forts  and  harbor  defences,  the  town 
of  Kingston  across  the  bay,  and  the  velvet  green  moun- 
tains, with  their  violet  shadows,  always  capped  with 
clouds,  beyond  them.  After  a  visit  to  the  beach,  and 
the  exploration  of  one  or  two  of  the  older  corners 


72  The  New  Jamaica. 

of  the  town,  we  found  that  we  had  reached  our 
time  limit,  and  must  find  our  way  again  to  the 
ferry. 

This  time  another  member  of  the  royal  family  took 
us  in.  Our  Charon  was  quite  a  youth,  and  his  face 
was  so  utterly  expressionless  that  we  doubted  whether 
a  cyclone  or  an  earthquake  could  ever  put  life  into  it. 
But  he  managed  to  get  us  safely  across,  though  the 
wind  blew  and  the  waters  rose  so  that  our  vessel  became 
a  sort  of  bath-tub  where  we  enjoyed  (?)  a  perpetual 
douche,  without  the  luxury  of  towels.  Nor  were  we 
the  only  passengers.  On  the  contrary,  our  boat  carried 
a  dozen  voyagers  of  various  shades  of  black  and 
brown,  most  of  whom  showed  unmistakable  signs  of 
fright  before  we  arrived  safely  at  the  Kingston 
wharf. 

The  fact  that  two  boats  were  overset  in  the  blow 
that  afternoon,  and  one  poor  fellow  drowned,  gave  the 
last  part  of  our  visit  to  Jamaica's  old  metropolis  some- 
thing of  the  dignity  of  an  adventure. 


ALONG  THE  RAILWAY. 


WE  are   accustomed 
to  railways    that    rush 
four-in-hand  along 
northern  river  banks,  or 
burrow    shrieking    into 
the  mountain  sides,  or 
span  canons,  or  traverse 
the     almost      limitless 
plains  where    the   sage 
and  the  chaparral  flour- 
ish.     We  climb  sierras 
that  way  now,  cross  val- 
leys  and  watercourses, 
explore  wildernesses,  and  there 
seems  nothing  strange  or  unnat- 
ural in  seeing  the  brightest  sky  stained  by 
the  locomotive  smoke  rings,  or  hearing  the 
deepest  solitude  disturbed   by    its  strident 
voice. 

But  here  is  a  railway  that  pursues  the 
even  tenor  of  its  way  between  groves  of  mangoes,  cac- 
tus hedges,  logwood  copses  and  banana  walks ;  steals 
into  vistas  framed  by  great  silk  cotton  trees  and  winds 
by  the  edge  of  streams  over  which  the  cocoanuts  lean 


74  The  New  Jamaica. 

and  beside  which  the  pineapples  grow.  It  mounts 
foot  by  foot  to  the  higher  island  levels,  around  the 
heads  of  glens  where  the  strange  trees  stand  deep  in 
ferns,  and  crowned  with  bright  blossoms  and  gay  moss 
streamers. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  world  that  indicates  prog- 
ress in  industrial  matters  more  than  a  successful  rail- 
way. Every  puff  of  an  engine  that  is  drawing  its 
share  of  a  steady  output  of  produce,  talks  in  a  lan- 
guage that  is  intelligible  to  the  dullest  man.  In  the 
catechism  of  mechanics  the  question,  ""What  is  the 
chief  end  of  a  railway?"  should  be  answered  thus: 
"  The  chief  end  of  a  railway  is  to  develop  the  country 
through  which  it  passes ;  to  make  land  valuable ; 
increase  commerce,  and  contrive,  by  such  honest 
means,  to  afford  a  dividend." 

At  the  Kingston  station  one  is  struck  with  the 
unique  character  of  the  place  and  the  people  ;  espe- 
cially the  latter.  The  cars  drawn  up  to  the  platform, 
are  built  upon  the  same  pattern  as  those  of  any 
English  railway.  They  are  divided  into  transverse 
apartments,  which  are  entered  from  the  side,  having  no 
connection  with  each  other.  The  guards  here  are 
polite  colored  men,  in  a  military-looking  uniform.  In 
place  of  the  various  phases  of  British  or  American  life, 
we  find  a  heterogeneous  assortment  of  humanity  with 
greater  contrasts  of  color,  character,  creed  and  cos- 
tume. 

The  Creole  of  position  with  his  visiting  cousin  from 
Europe,  or  the  American  continent,  takes  his  place  in 
a  first-class  carriage.  There  is  apt  to  be  a  pretty  girl 


Along  the  Railway.  75 

or  two  in  his  party,  but  they  are  for  the  most  part,  too 
demure  to  notice  the  stranger  who  is  trying  to  use  his 
eyes  to  the  best  advantage.  There  are  colored  peo- 
ple, black  people,  white  people  ;  there  are  faces  that 
show  Castilian  origin,  others  of  a  Caledonian  cast, 
many  that  are  browned  by  more  than  exposure  to  a 
tropic  sun. 

Here  is  the  bare-armed,  braceletted,  long-haired, 
coolie  woman,  with  her  babe  partly  wrapped  in  the 
gaudy  shawl  that  is  thrown  half  around  the  mother's 
head,  half  over  her  shoulder.  Her  wealth  is  apparent 
to  all  eyes,  for  she  carries  it  where  all  may  see,  dis- 
played upon  wrists,  forehead,  breast,  ankles  ;  in  fact 
anywhere  that  there  is  a  chance  to  place  a  hoop  or  a 
bangle.  Then  there  are  others  :  soldiers,  dressed  in 
white  and  red  uniforms  ;  negro  market  women,  bundle 
topped  ;  newsboys  and  porters.  These  all  speak  a 
various  language,  in  which  they  have  a  Babel  profi- 
ciency. It  pretends  to  be  English  ;  it  sounds  as 
though  "  Jabbenvocky  "  had  found  a  local  habitation. 

We  do  not  believe  there  is  a  case  on  record  where 
the  stranger  has  been  able  at  once  to  understand  the 
English  of  the  Jamaican  of  the  lower  class. 

The  train-shed  into  which  the  station  building 
proper  opens  is  about  three  hundred  feet  long,  and 
wide  enough  to  admit  several  trains  abreast.  Beyond 
this  structure  are  the  shops,  engine  houses,  etc. 

After  passing  the  purlieus  of  the  city,  among  the 
first  scenes  to  attract  attention  are  the  extensive  stock 
yards  of  Cumberland  Pen,  one  of  the  large  properties 
of  the  island,  where  great  herds  of  horses  and  cattu 


76  The  New  Jamaica. 

are  bred  and  grazed.  Cumberland  Pen  embraces  a 
good  race-course,  and  its.  turf  events  are  always  looked 
forward  to  with  considerable  interest,  by  both  Creoles 
and  aliens. 

The  grazing  pastures  as  seen  from  the  railway, 
present  a  clean,  well-trimmed  appearance.  As  high  as 
a  cow  can  reach  the  leaves  of  the  mangoes  are  close 
cropped  as  though  by  a  machine.  One  could  sight 
along  the  under  sides  of  them  as  along  the  level  of  a 
ceiling.  Beneath,  the  grass  is  as  smoothly  trimmed. 
Cows,  and  indeed  all  hoof-kind,  are  great  conservers  of 
park  and  lawn.  *  At  another  place,  where  the  road 
crosses  some  little  stream  or  canal,  a  widening  pool  by 
the  wayside  is  literally  full  of  horses,  playing  or  stand- 
ing shoulder  deep,  enjoying  that  advantage  gained 
over  the  flies.  So  we  pass  from  point  to  point  of 
interest,  here  stopping  at  some  way  station  and  anon 
skirting  a  sugar  plantation  beyond  whose  levels  of 
corn  green  cane  the  picturesque  buildings,  mills  and 
aqueducts  cluster,  and  along  whose  borders  the  rows 
of  bamboos  stand  sentinel. 

There  is  something  which  strikes  one  with  surprise 
in  every  phase  of  Jamaican  industry,  and  this  element 
is  not  wanting  here.  As  the  water  comes  from  the 
aqueduct,  it  is  distributed  in  channels  or  trenches,  and 
we  have  seen  a  number  of  women  sitting  by  the  side 
of  one  of  these  little  canals,  throwing  the  water  with 
their  hands  upon  the  cane  rows.  At  one  point,  a  very 
fine  aqueduct,  built  of  stone  and  supported  on  num- 
berless arches,  crosses  the  railway.  It  is  picturesquely 
draped  with  moss  vines  and  -ferns.  The  water  it  con- 


Along  the  Railway. 


77 


ducts  is  drawn  from  the  Rio  Cobre,  the  beautiful  river 
that  waters  the  plain  of  St.  Catherine. 


get    g 


Half  way  between  Kingston  and  Spanish  Town  we 
impses  of  the  harbor  head  and  the  distant 
Healthshire  Hills;  or,  as  the  old  books  call  them, 
"  Hellshire  Hills." 

One  is  continually  struck  with  the  indications  of 
natural  richness  and  fertility  of  the  country,  and 
the  little  advantage  that  is  taken  of  these  means 
of  wealth  by  the  inhabitants.  It  is  probably  true 
that  the  country  is  underpopulated.  It  is  certainly 
a  fact  that  every  mile  of  it  calls  loudly  for  more 
intelligent  methods  of  labor,  and  more  earnest  purpose 


78  The  New  Jamaica. 

in  utilizing  the  natural  resources.  On  the  lower  end 
of  the  line,  the  estates  and  fruit  cultivations  are  made 
more  valuable  by  the  Rib  Cobre  canal,  a  public  work 
accomplished  several  years  ago,  which  has  added 
thousands  of  pounds  in  value  to  the  lands  through 
which  its  irrigating  stream  passes.  But  beyond  this 
there  seems  to  be  very  little  done  to  add  to  those 
natural  gifts  of  soil  and  climate  which  we  have  more 
than  once  dwelt  upon.  From  the  very  beginning  to 
the  conclusion  of  planting  and  gathering,  the  Jamai- 
can cultivator  rests  in  the  knowledge  that  it  would  be 
a  difficult  matter  to  starve  him  out.  One  potent 
reason  for  this  apparent  apathy  is  a  real  want  of 
capital.  The  man  who  clears  his  woodland  with 
machete  and  fire,  may  be  alive  to  the  value  of  stump 
pulling  machinery  yet  find  it  beyond  his  means.  But 
many  of  the  smaller  cultivators  are  perfectly  content 
to  work  according  to  old  methods.  Their  oranges, 
they  say,  are  the  best  in  the  \vorld ;  why  seek  by 
grafting  or  budding,  to  improve  them  ?  Acres  run  to 
waste,  and  their  owners  wonder  that  foreigners  doubt 
that  they  are  making  the  most  of  their  opportunities. 
Well,  perhaps  they  are  right.  Why  should  they  not 
rest,  since  nature  is  so  willing  to  assume  all  the  re- 
sponsibility of  crops  and  harvests? 

Among  the  various  products  which  the  Jamaica 
Railway  has  made  marketable  one  of  the  most  valuable 
is  logwood.  At  many  of  the  stations  we  see  great 
piles  of  the  sticks,  or  of  crooked  roots,  ready  for  ship- 
ment. Car  after  car  passes  us,  loaded  with  this  same 
wealth.  The  logwood  grows  wild,  thousands  of  acres 


Along  the  Railicav. 


79 


of  it  cover  the  hill-slopes.  All  of  this  might  be  han- 
dled, transported,  marketed,  to  greater  advantage  if 
right  machinery  were  introduced.  We  have  spoken 
of  stump  pullers,  such  as  are  used  in  the  United 
States  for  similar  work.  As  the  custom  now  is  to  ship 
not  only  the  trunks  but  the  roots  of  the  logwood,  the 
gain  of  grubbing  in  a  more  systematic,  nineteenth 
century  way  would  be  enormous.  Or,  supposing  the 


root  to  be  out  of  the  ground,  proper  appliances  for 
crushing  it  would  reduce  its  bulk,  and  practically 
increase  the  carrying  capacity  of  every  car  engaged  in 
shipping  it  by  just  so  much.  Or,  better  still,  by  the 
investment  of  capital  in  a  properly  arranged  plant  for 


8o 


The  New  Jamaica. 


extracting  the  dye  from  the  logwood  before  it  is 
shipped,  the  industry  would  without  question  receive 
an  enormous  impetus.  What  we  wish  to  point  out  is 
that  here  is  an  almost  unworked  field  for  the  investor, 
whose  predilection  for  agriculture,  fruit  growing  or 
manufacture  could  be  indulged  in  the  security  which  a 
well-equipped,  firmly-established  railroad  affords. 

After  passing  Spanish  Town  and  May  Pen,  with  its 
fine  iron  bridge  and  View  of  the  dry  bed  of  a  river 
that  has  found  a  subterranean  channel,  we  soon  strike 


OLD  MANOR    HorsE  AT  EWART 


a  perceptible  up  grade  and  gradually  rise  to  higher 
levels,  and  towards  Porus,  the  present  terminus  of  one 
section  of  the  road. 


Along  the  Railway.  81 

There  are  now  two  main  sections,  the  junction 
being  at  Spanish  Town.  At  the  end  of  one  is  Porus, 
at  the  other  Ewarton.  Both  of  these  towns  are  in  the 
county  of  Middlesex,  the  first  in  the  parish  of  Man- 
chester and  the  other  in  St.  Catherine.  Beyond  Porus 
it  is  proposed  to  extend  the  line,  and  in  fact,  the 
addition  is  now  being  built  through  the  delightful  hill 
country  north  of  Mandeville,  past  Shooters'  Mountain, 
and  toward  the  region  of  Cornwall  County,  known  as 
the  Cockpit  country,  from  its  deep  sink  holes  and 
wild,  cavernous  character.  The  lines  run  by  Balaclava, 
and  across  the  Black  River.  Here  some  of  the  most 
difficult  engineering  work  of  the  road  is  being  accom- 
plished. Through  Vauxhall  and  Ipswich  the  road 
will  extend  to  the  Great  River,  and  along  that  stream 
to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Lethe  estate  and  thence 
to  Montego  Bay,  thus  opening  up  one  of  the 
pleasantest  as  well  as  one  of  the  richest  parts  of  the 
island. 

The  other  section,  that  which  now  terminates  at 
Ewarton,  will  branch  from  Bog  Walk,  cross  the 
mountains  east  of  St.  Thomas-in-the-vale,  and  follow 
the  course  of  the  famed  Rio  d'Oro,  where  the  Span- 
iards were  supposed  to  have  had  the  secret  of  the 
Indian  gold  mine  j  a  tradition  not  unlikely  to  be  well 
founded,  as  the  region  gives  fair  indication  of  gold. 
From  the  Rio  d'Oro,  the  railway  will  run  through  the 
lower  part  of  St.  Mary's  to  the  Flint  River,  continue 
to  follow  that  stream  to  its  junction  with  the  Wag 
Water,  and  following  that,  reach  the  coast  at  An- 
notto  Bay,  going  thence  eastward  up  the  coast  to 


82  The  New  Jamaica. 

Port  Antonio.  The  projection  of  a  third  line 
to  cross  Trelawney  and  St.  James,  is  also  spoken 
of. 

It  was  in  the  year  1843  tnat  tne  Jamaica  Railway 
Company  was  incorporated.  -The  line  was  opened  for 
traffic  in  November  of  that  year.  It  was  at  first  only 
operated  as  far  as  "  The  Angels,"  near  Spanish  Town, 
a  distance  of  fourteen  miles  from  Kingston,  at  a  cost 
of  £222,250.  It  had  but  one  track.  From  then  to 
1867  work  was  virtually  at  a  standstill.  Then  an 
extension  from  Spanish  Town  to  old  Harbour  Market 
was  carried  through  at  a  cost  of  £60,000,  being 
opened  to  the  public  in  July,  1869. 

Since  1867  the  history  of  the  road  may  not  be  unin- 
teresting, showing  as  it  does  the  gradual  reception  of 
a  new  idea,  the  final  appreciation  of  business  energy, 
and  the  success  which  attends  intelligent  manage- 
ment. 

After  the  opening  of  the  extension  the  business  of 
the  company  increased  gradually,  till  in  1875,  its 
revenue  reached  the  sum  of  £24,200,  a  gain  of  £13,- 
478  in  six  years.  In  '77,  Sir  Anthony  Musgrave,  as 
stated  in  a  previous  chapter,  interested  himself  in  the 
affairs  of  the  railway,  entered  into  negotiations  with 
the  company  and  effected  the  purchase  of  the  road  by 
the  government.  At  this  time  the  capital  represented 
was  £267,250. 

The  permanent  way  was  relaid  and  ballasted,  water 
ways  and  conduits  were  opened  to  drain  those  parts 
of  the  road  which  were  apt  to  be  submerged,  twenty- 
eight  bridges  were  built  and  general  improvements 


Along  the  Railway. 


.. 


ifj  '  4 

: ' -S 


84  The  New  Jamaica. 

carried  on  all  along  the  line.  What  with  stations, 
walls,  culverts  and  numerous  other  additions  and 
repairs  the  cost  amounted  to  £107,260.  The  cost, 
including  purchase,  was  £201,192. 

The  first  year's  work  after  the  government  purchase 
returned  a  net  profit  of  £5,621.  The  railway  con- 
tinued after  this  to  more  than  pay  its  expenses. 

The  next  move  was  the  extension  to  Porus,  in 
Manchester,  the  present  (1890)  terminus.  On  the  2d 
of  May,  1885,  the  extension  was  open  to  traffic  at  a 
cost  of  £280,924,  loans  being  raised  to  provide  the 
means  for  expenditure.  It  was  said  that  the  contract- 
ors, Messrs.  Reid  and  McKay,  made  nothing-  by  their 
enterprise,  and  an  award  of  £13,731  was  made  to 
them  by  the  arbitrators.  The  raising  of  a  further  loan 
of  £70,000  was  authorized  by  Law  1 6  of  1887  for  pro- 
posed extensions,  surveys  and  repairs.  A  loan  of 
£26,000  was  raised  and  an  extension  through  Annotto 
Bay,  from  Bog  Walk  to  Port  Antonio,  was  reported 
upon  in  September,  1888.  About  the  same  time  some 
American  capitalists,  headed  by  Mr.  Frederick  Wes- 
son, made  an  offer  for  the  road.  It  was  sold  to  them 
for  £100,000  cash,  and  £700,000  secured  by  second 
mortgage  bonds  on  the  security  of  the  railway  at  four 
per  cent,  interest.  The  company  pledged  itself  to 
extend  the  line  as  projected,  and  was  empowered  to 
issue  bonds  to  the  extent  of  £320,000,  and  to  make 
further  issues  of  £2OO;OOO  on  the  completion  of  each 
twenty-five  miles  of  extension,  till  the  full  amount  of 
£1,500,000  is  reached.  The  transfer  of  the  line  was 
made  in  January  4,  1890,  since  which  time,  under  the 


Along  the  Railivay.  85 

general  management  of  Mr.  R.  B.  Campbell,  the  road 
has  continued  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  public  as  well 
as  to  its  owners. 


SANTIAGO  DE  LA  VEGA. 


FAMILIARITY  with  the  history  of  Jamaica  means 
intimacy  with  Spanish  Town,  which  for  over  three 
centuries  and  a  half  was  the  capital  city  of  the  island. 
Seville,  Melilla,  Oristan,  were  one  after  another  aban- 
doned by  the  Spaniards,  who  soon  founded  this  city, 
whose  salubrious  climate,  pleasant  surroundings  and 
defensible  position  seemed  to  point  to  its  site  as  the 
natural  one  for  the  seat  of  government.  This  was 
Columbus'  dukedom  ;  this  the  city  of  which  D'Oyley 
was  left  in  charge  after  the  English  conquest,  the 
place  of  retirement  for  the  aristocracy  of  Port  Royal, 
the  scene  of  social  triumphs,  of  legislative  strife,  the 
site  of  Jamaica's  finest  buildings,  now  going  into 
decay  for  want  of  occupancy  and  proper  care. 

Through  the  hospitality  of  the  custos  of  St.  Cather- 
ine's parish  we  were  first  introduced  to  the  attractions 
of  this  quaint  old  capital,  and  in  telling  of  its  features 
of  interest  where  can  we  better  begin  than  with  Rod- 
ney? Admiral  Lord  Rodney,  the  hero  of  1781,  the 
defender  of  Jamaica  against  the  French  under  Count 
de  Grasse,  lives  forever  in  marble  under  a  cupola  over- 
looking the  main  square  of  Spanish  Town.  John 
Bacon,  who  apparently  had  a  colonial  contract  to  fill 
the  island  with  evidences  of  his  art,  bestowed  upon 


Santiago  de  hi    Vega.  87 

the  statue  of  Rodney  his  ripest  skill.  Fora  century  it 
has  kept  watch  and  ward  over  the  affairs  of  Spanish 
Town  till  it  grew  to  have  a  more  than  educational 
significance.  People  spoke  of  it  as  a  person,  and 
regarded  it  as  a  tutelary  deity.  More  than  all,  they 
had  affection  for  it. 

Judge,  then,  what  the  feeling  of  Spanish  Town 
must  have  been  when  Rodney  was  removed  to 
Kingston,  and  set  up  in  the  market-place  therev  with 
his  face  to  the  sea.  There  was  mourning.  Houses  were 
hung  with  black.  A  mock  funeral  was  attended  by 
numbers  of  people,  and  a  coffin  containing  the  effigy  of 
the  lost  admiral  was  placed  in  the  empty  cupola.  Seri- 
ously, the  authorities  feared  a  riot.  They  had  taken 
away  the  government  ;  they  had  destroyed  the  prestige 
of  the  place;  they  had  robbed  it  of  its  business  ;  and 
now  they  had  multiplied  injury  and  insult  by  carrying 
off  Rodney.  There,  Spanish  Town  drew  the  line.  It 
refused  to  be  parted  from  its  idol.  There  is  some- 
thing delicious  in  this  robust  epic ;  the  rape  of  the 
statue,  the  protest,  struggle,  restoration  and  triumph 
which  followed.  Now,  the  admiral  stands  once  more 
on  his  own  pedestal,  in  a  costume  borrowed  from 
Grecian  mythology,  and  admirably  adapted  to  a  warm 
climate,  his  captured  cannon  at  his  feet,  and  the 
garden-centred  square  of  Spanish  Town  under  his 
eagle  eye. 

And  this  is  what  he  sees.  A  great  empty  residence, 
whose  wide  doors  no  longer  admit  the  state,  beauty 
and  fashion  of  a  capital ;  whose  great,  empty  ball- 
room, where  princes  of  the  blood  have  been  enter- 


88 


The  New  Jamaica. 


tained,  is  empty  ;  whose  banqueting  hall  is  melancholy. 
There  are  the  House  of  Assembly  rooms  devoted  to 
baser  uses ;  the  court-house  and  the  various  offices  all 
pleading  their  loss  of  importance.  Do  not  think  from 


this  that  Santiago  de  la  Vega  is  desolate,  though 
abandoned  by  the  government  for  less  lordly  accom- 
modations and  business  conveniences  in  Kingston. 
We  visited  the  churches  and  chapels,  and  found  that 
they  were  attended  by  good  congregations.  We  took 
our  places  with  the  worshippers  at  the  Cathedral 
Church,  which  stands  on  the  foundations  of  the  old 
Spanish  Red  Cross  Church  of  St.  Peter,  and  if  the 
mural  decorations,  crests  and  monuments  of  the  in- 
terior of  that  interesting  place  shared  the  attention 


Santiago  de  la    Vega.  89 

which  should  have  been  given  solely  to  the  prayer 
book  and  the  sermon,  let  art  and  antiquity  divide  the 
blame.  Here  are  buried  former  governors  and  great 
men.  The  arms  of  Effingham,  and  the  sweet  features 
of  the  Countess  of  Elgin  were  texts  in  themselves. 

Spanish  Town  possesses  a  good  almshouse,  hospital, 
market,  record  office  and  constabulary  depot.  Its 
streets  are  well  paved  and  clean  ,  its  houses  attrac- 
tive, though  not  different  from  those  of  most  other 
West  India  towns.  Its  population  numbers  5,689.  It 
is  situated  six  miles  from  the  harbor  and  thirteen 
miles  from  Kingston,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Cobre, 
a  beautiful  stream  of  considerable  volume,  the  water 
from  which  supplies  the  irrigation  canal  which  en- 
riches a  great  many  hundred  acres  in  St.  Catherine's. 

There  are  in  Spanish  Town  several  lodging-houses ; 
and  lately  a  hotel  company  has  undertaken  the  work 
of  providing  lodging  and  entertainment  at  the  Hotel 
Rio  Cobre,  just  outside  of  the  town.  This  house  will 
accommodate  twenty-five  to  -fifty  guests,  and  aims  to 
give  Creole  comfort  and  good  fare,  with  American  man- 
agement. The  proximity  of  the  beautiful  Rio  Cobre 
is  a  guarantee  that  the  sojourner  will  neither  lack  for 
active  sport  or  poetic  pabulum. 

We  enjoyed  several  drives  in  the  good  roads  about 
Spanish  Town.  One  of  these  led  us  to  the  Rio  Cobre 
dam  and  beginning  of  the  irrigation  canal.  The  dam 
is  a  long,  depressed  slant,  over  which  the  water  flows 
with  a  continuous  ripple.  The  flood  of  the  canal  finds 
its  way  by  pleasant  banks,  under  picturesque  bridges 
and  beneath  long,  even  rows  of  over-bending  cocoanut 


9o 


The  New  Jamaica. 


trees  to  smaller  channels,  until,  at  last,  its  ramifications 
reach  through  grazing  tpens,  fruit  cultivations  and 
sugar  estates,  fertilizing  and  enriching  all  that  section 
of  country. 


A  little  way  beyond  the  dam  we  were  conducted 
through  a  field,  where  a  group  of  colored  people  vainly 
tried  to  dissuade  us  from  advancing,  by  stories  of  ticks 
in  the  grass  and  impassable  swamps.  Beyond  this  we 
saw  traces  of  an  ancient  avenue  of  tall  trees,  and  the 
evidences  of  something  more  than  negro  occupancy. 
Then  we  came  upon  what  seemed  to  be  a  ruin,  but  so 
overgrown  with  trees  and  underbrush  that  it  was  nec- 
essary to  send  a  man  ahead  with  a  machete  before  we 


Santiago  de  la    Vega.  91 

could  advance.  The  ruin  is  said  to  be  that  of  the 
house  of  the  last  Spanish  governor  of  the  island,  who 
fled  from  here  when  the  island  was  taken  by  Penn 
and  Venables  in  Great  Cromwell's  time.  It  may 
easily  be  true.  There  is  every  evidence  of  antiquity 
in  the  trees  and  the  weather-eaten  stones  of  the 
house  walls,  now  netted  by  the  interlacing  roots  of  a 
century-old  fig-tree  that  overrides  them.  Who  knows 
what  treasure  may  underlie  the  rubbish  that  chokes 
the  doorways  and  cumbers  the  wall  gaps  ? 

Another  pleasant  drive  from  Spanish  Town  is  the  one 
which  skirts  the  salt  ponds  and  goes  out  to  Port  Hen- 
derson. On  the  way  thither  we  have  a  fine  view  of 
the  Healthshire  hills  on  the  right,  till  that  is  shut  off 
by  the  nearer  Salt  Pond  hill.  Port  Henderson  is  the 
natural  landing-place  for  Spanish  Town.  It  is  nearly 
opposite  Port  Royal,  and  diagonally  across  from 
Kingston.  There  is  a  fine  view  of  the  harbor  and  the 
hills  beyond.  The  Constant  Spring  Hotel,  the  bar- 
racks at  New  Castle,  the  houses  that  dot  the  mountain 
side  here,  and  there,  and,  still  further  away,  the  cloudy 
summit  of  the  Blue  Mountain  peak,  all  can  be  enjoyed 
from  Port  Henderson.  There  are  very  few  houses 
here,  but  a  small  garrison  is  quartered  on  the  spot  and 
visitors  often  stop  to  enjoy  the  mineral  bath,  a  natural 
rocky  spring  housed  over.  The  neighborhood  is  full 
of  deep  caves.  Into  one  or  two  we  Went  a  little  way, 
but  others  are  so  deep  that  they  give  back  no  echo 
to  tell  what  becomes  of  the  stone  thrown  into  the 
depths.  In  one  of  these  caverns  tradition  says  that 
Morgan  the  buccaneer  concealed  both  men  and  booty 


92  The  New  Jamaica. 

at  a  time  when   it  was   not  convenient  to  have  either 
exposed  too  freely  for  the  public  view. 

Near  Port  Henderson  is  the  Battery  of  the  Apostles, 
named  evidently  by  some  one  who  did  not  know  how 
many  apostles  there  were ;  or  perhaps,  one  of  these 
apostles  may  have  burst  at  some  time.  In  late  years 
the  defences  of  Apostles'  Battery  have  been  materially 
strengthened,  and  magazines  and  armament  added. 
Four  miles  from  Port  Henderson  are  the  defences  of 
Passage  fort,  the  landing-place  of  the  English  con- 
querors, at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Cobre.  Port  Royal 
on  one  side  of  the  harbor  entrance  and  the  Apostles' 
Battery  on  the  other,  are,  however,  considered  the 
true  and  important  defences  to  both  the  old  and  the 
present  capital.  At  Green  Bay  is  the  quarantine  sta- 
tion. Back  of  the  Apostles  is  a  lookout  known  as" 
"  Rodney's,"  where  the  great  admiral  used  to  watch 
for  the  French.  Near  here  is  also  the  tomb  of  Lewis 
Galdy,  who  was  swallowed  by  the  great  Port  Royal 
earthquake  and  cast  up  again  alive.  He  must  have 
been  indeed  an  unpalatable  morsel  if  both  the  earth 
and  the  sea  rejected  him. 


HALF-WAY  TREE  AND  CONSTANT  SPRING. 


ABOUT  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Kingston,    northeast  of  the  race- 
course, are  the  "  Up-park-camp  " 
barrackso      Here     are    the    head- 
quarters of  the  West  Indian  regi- 
ment stationed,  with  the  brigade 
and  other  military  offices.      The 
place     contains     good     barracks, 
parade    ground,  swimming    bath, 
hospital,   and  everything  to  make 
camp  life  as  endurable  as  possible.      The  location  is 
health  giving  and  cool  and  the  views  fine.      The  place 
is  well  worth  a  visit. 

From  Kingston,  past  the  race-course  and  exhibition 
buildings,  the  main  road,  upon  which  the  tram  cars 
run,  leads  out  to  Half-way  Tree.  This  highway  is 
dotted  with  residences,  many  of  them  occupying  the 
site  of  former  pens,  the  names  of  which  they  still 
retain.  Here  are  trim  white  dwellings,  with  jalousied 
verandas,  high  porches,  and  chimneyless  roofs,  that 
slant  on  four  sides  instead  of  being  built  with  vertical 
ends,  like  the  ordinary  gable  roof  of  the  North. 
Around  the  houses  grow  broad  leaved  century  plants, 
segregated  branches  of  palms,  great  blazing  masses  of 


94  The  New  Jamaica. 

scarlet  or  yellow  bloom  on  flowering  shrubs  and  trees, 
clusters  of  deep-lined  mango  foliage  and  groups  of 
tree  ferns  or  beds  of  glowing  blossoms.  The  only 
visible  drawback  to  these  residences  is  the  cloud  of 
dust  that  is  apt  to  roll  in  from  the  road.  The  Half- 
way Tree  road  is  well  kept  and  much  travelled.  It  is 
the  beginning  of  the  great  highway  that  crosses  the 
island,  passing  Constant  Spring,  crossing  Stony  Hill, 
traversing  the  mountains  of  the  interior,  following  the 
Wag  Water  past  Castleton  Gardens  and  joining  the 
coast  road  at  Annotto  Bay. 

At  any  part  it  is  well  travelled,  but  on  the  lower  end 
of  the  road,  especially  on  Tuesdays  and  Saturdays, 
which  are  market  days,  the  passing  peasantry  become 
a  multitude,  a  tide  that  flows  in  the  morning  and  ebbs 
again  at  evening. 

The  women  are  numerically  much  better  repre- 
sented in  this  throng  than  the  men.  Women  are  the 
workers  among  the  blacks  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Kingston.  They  carry  the  coal  on  the  wharves,  load 
and  unload  vessels,  drive  donkeys  and  mules  with 
produce,  break  stone  on  the  road,  carry  stone  and 
other  building  material  for  house  builders,  wash,  bake, 
dig  in  the  fields,  and,  in  fine,  perform  four-fifths  of  the 
labor  that  one  sees  done.  If  the  men  work  they  keep 
the  evidences  out  of  sight  with  most  unaccountable 
modesty.  These  women  are  generally  strongly  built, 
short  and  energetic.  One  or  two  garments,  well  girded 
up,  suffice  them  for  decency.  Their  tread  is  a  firm 
long  glide,  with  a  great  deal  of  motion  as  far  up  as  the 
hips,  a  side  to  side  swing  below  the  waist  and  above 


Half-way   Tree  and  Constant  ~  Spring. 


95 


96  The  New  Jamaica. 

that  absolute  steadiness  and  rigidity,  so  that  the  heavy 
burden  on  the  head  is  not  disturbed  nor  endangered. 
They  will  chase  each  other,  quarrel,  jump  aside  for  a 
passing  horse  or  vehicle  and  never  upset  or  spill  these 
burdens.  They  are  a  merry  lot,  with  as  little  knowl- 
edge of  physical  pain  or  fatigue  as  strong  young  cattle. 
The  Jamaican  male  peasant  may  look  morose,  but  the 
women  are  always  ready  to  break  out  into  a  smile. 
Among  this  crowd  are  donkeys  with  panniers,  mules 
and  horses  laden  with  all  manner  of  freight,  people  in 
vehicles  and  on  horseback  going  at  as  good  a  pace  as 
though  they  had  a  clear  road.  The  pedestrians 
(always  in  the  road,  as  there  is  no  pretence  of  a  side- 
walk) scatter,  make  way,  close  in  again  ;  all  rapidly 
moving  in  one  direction,  keeping  the  same  swift, 
steady  gait  that  some  of  them  have  used  for  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles  over  the  mountains;  One  of  them  will 
be  glad  to  get  a  shilling  for  a  load  heavy  enough  for  a 
donkey,  which  she  has  "  toted  "  ten  miles  to  market. 

Meanwhile  the  dust  envelopes  everything;  the  grass 
by  the  wayside  and  the  leaves  of  the  mangoes  and 
cotton  trees  are  gray  with  it.  It  follows  in  an  eddy 
behind  the  street  car  that  trundles  by,  drawn  by  its 
team  of  galloping  mules,  and  settles  on  the  dusky 
throng  that  set  it  in  motion. 

Some  day,  somebody  should  write,  if  not  an  epic,  at 
least  an  ode,  to  the  mango  vender.  She  it  is  who  sup- 
plies the  great  staple  of  diet,  and  when  the  stock  in 
trade  is  becoming  unsalable  she  prevents  waste  by 
eating  it  herself.  Seated  by  the  roadside  she  devours 
mangoes ;  walking  along  the  road  she  eats  them  ;  talk- 


Half-way  Tree  and  Constant  Spring. 


97 


ing,  bargaining,    scolding,    laughing — the   ever   ready 
mango  fills  every  pause. 

At  the  village  of  Half-way  Tree,  three  miles  from 
Kingston,  there  is  a  cluster  of  houses  on  a  cross  road ; 
a  church  and  burying  ground,  old  and  quaint,  and  a 
few  shops.  At  a  little  distance  are  several  fine  resi- 
dences and  among  them  the  King's  House,  or  Guber- 
natorial mansion,  now  occupied  by  his  Excellency,  Sir 
Henry  Arthur  Blake,  K.  C.  M.  G.  This  is  a  large  and 
attractive  dwelling  built  after  the  style  of  the  coun- 
try, with  upper  and  lower  verandas  shaded  by  jal- 
ousies, entirely  enclosing  it.  The  lawn  is  beautifully 
adorned  with  shrubbery,  and  handsome  trees  shade  it. 
To  Lady  Blake's  rare  taste  is  due  much  of  the  floral 
wrealth  that  charms  the  visitor  to  King's  House.  There 
are  also,  in  the  neighborhood,  the  homes  of  several  of 
the  higher  government  officials.  Near  the  cross  road 


98  The  New  Jamaica. 

is  situated  the  market  building,  and  there  are  also  a 
court-house  or  girls'  orphanage  asylum  and  school  near 
by.  The  church  referred  to  above  is  one  which  was 
built  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  and  has  been  in 
recent  years  repaired  and  renovated.  Its  floor  is 
paved  with  slabs  inscribed  with  the  names  and  crests 
of  many  departed  worthies.  Sir  Nicholas  Lawes,  once 
governor  of  the  island,  is  buried  there.  In  this  church, 
Livingstone,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
is  said  to  have  been  married,  and  in  the  churchyard 
reposes  all  that  is  mortal  of  Colonel  Harrison,  grand 
uncle  of  the  present  (1889)  President  of  the  United 
States.  Colonel  Harrison  represented  the  United 
States  Government  in  Jamaica  for  a  number  of  years. 
Upon  the  3Oth  of  May  last,  a  few  Americans,  headed 
by  Mr.  Estes,  their  consul,  engaged  in  a  simple  decor- 
ation day  service  over  his  grave. 

The  tram  cars,  which  run  from  Kingston  to  Half- 
way Tree  with  a  headway  of  twenty  minutes,  start 
from  the  latter  place  to  Constant  Spring  every  half 
hour.  This  is  another  three-mile  drive  along  a  road 
which  becomes  cooler  and  pleasanter  at  every  step. 
The  open  roadway  ahead  and  the  glimpses  through 
gaps  in  the  foliage  reveal  more  and  more  of  the 
mountains,— those  mountains  of  which  Columbus' 
crumpled  bit  of  paper  was  at  once  a  description  and  a 
parody.  Ravines  that  are  mere  lines  near  the  sum- 
mits and  widen  into  valleys  as  they  approach  the 
plain,  are  the  recipients  for  streams  from  other  ravines. 
Add  to  this  effect  the  winding,  irregular  shape  of  a 
range  of  hills  and  the  whole  has  a  singular  crinkled 


Half-way  Tree  and  Constant  Spring.  99 

appearance.  But  the  warm,  rich  tones  that  sweep 
across  their  under  coloring  of  blues  and  grays,  com- 
bined with  these  convolute  forms,  give  effects  that  are 
often  startlingly  beautiful  to  the  Jamaica  Mountains. 
The  other  road  from  Half-way  Tree,  going  to  the 
east  and  north,  leads  to  Gordon  Town,  about  six  miles 
distant.  There  is  a  daily  stage  from  Kingston  to 
Gordon  Town.  It  is  a  small  village,  having  little  of 
note  about  it.  But  from  there  one  may  proceed  on 
horseback  (a  good  livery  establishment  is  there)  to 
Newcastle,  well  up  on  a  Blue  Mountain  spur,  where 
the  white  troops  are  stationed.  This  is  3,9/4  feet 
above  the  sea.  Between  Gordon  Town  and  New- 
castle is  Craigton,  the  mountain  home  of  Governor 
and  Lady  Blake.  In  this  vicinity  are  also  mineral 
springs  at  a  place  called  Silver  Spring.  There  are  two 
or  three  points  of  interest  on  the  road  to  Gordon 
Town.  Near  this  place  is  quite  a  large  coolie  settle- 
ment, where  these  gentle  East  Indian  laborers  live  in 
something  of  the  fashion  of  their  eastern  home.  Here 
the  habits  of  India  (at  least  of  its  laboring  castes)  may 
be  studied  as  well  as  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges  r>r 
the  Indus.  They  keep  the  same  distinctions  in 
costume  for  age  or  rank  that  obtain  in  Calcutta. 
They  are,  many  of  them,  skilful  artisans,  and  the 
visitor  may  see  the  necklace  or  other  ornament  fash- 
ioned from  the  handful  of  silver  pieces  he  furnishes 
for  the  purpose  "  while  he  waits."  Intellectually  we 
need  not  say  where  the  coolie  stands  in  comparison  to 
the  negro.  He  belongs  to  a  darker  branch  of  the 
Caucasian  race,  his  civilization  one  of  the  oldest  in  the 


ioo  The  New  Jamaica. 

world,  and  though  of  a  lower  caste  in  that  race  yet  far 
above  the  African  in  development.  It  is  amusing  to 
notice  that  the  negro  looks  down  on  the  coolie  as  upon 
an  inferior. 

Between  Gordon  Town  and  Half-way  Tree  are  the 
Hope  Gardens,  which  will  be  elsewhere  described,  and 
the  Hope  high  school  for  boys,  a  large  and  somewhat 
imposing  building,  erected  on  the  government  ground. 
Near  here  are  also  the  lead  works  and  reservoirs  of  the 
Kingston  and  Liguanea  water  works. 

These  are  the  principal  roads  and  villages  in  the 
parish  of  St.  Andrews.  At  Constant  Spring,  which  is 
the  terminus  of  the  tram  car  line,  there  are  the  water 
works,  built  when  the  Wag  was  taken  to  supplement 
the  Hope  supply  in  providing  Kingston  with  water. 
These  works  are  called  the  Kingston  and  Liguanea 
water  works.  Constant  Spring  also  boasts  a  great 
hotel,  the  largest  building  of  its  class  that  Jamaica  has 
ever  known.  Its  centre  and  two  wings  contain  ample 
accommodation  for  several  hundred  guests.  Its 
cuisine  is  presided  over  by  a  competent  French  chef, 
its  tables  are  well  supplied  and  well  served,  and  the 
whole  place  is  under  excellent  (American)  manage- 
ment. It  is  but  just  to  say  that  this  hotel  was  the 
first  building  in  Jamaica  where  electric  lights  were 
used.  Its  charges  compare  favorably  with  those  of 
other  hotels  and  lodging-houses  in  the  island.  We 
have  elsewhere  given  the  ordinary  rates  of  board  and 
lodging. 


STONY  HILL  AND  CASTLETON. 


IT  is  a  rare  drive  for  a 
May  morning  from  Con- 
stant Spring  to  Castleton. 
The  heat  and  glare  and 
dust,  which  annoy  the 
traveller  on  the  half-way 
tree  section  of  the  road, 
disappear  entirely  when 
we  have  passed  Constant 
Spring.  The  air  is  fresher, 
the  fields  and  foliage 

o 

greener,  the  light  pleas- 
anter  than  on  the  lower 
ground.  We  have  reached 
the  limits  of  the  plain,  and 
before  us  rise  the  crumpled,  irregular  hills  that  slope 
back  towards  the  Wag  Water,  or  rise,  fold  and  con- 
volute fold  on  ridge  and  spur,  till  far  in  the  distance 
they  reach  the  highest  island  altitude  of  over  seven 
thousand  feet,  in  the  Blue  Mountain  peak. 

If  there  is  anything  calculated  to  make  a  man  glad 
he  is  alive,  it  is  to  mount  a  good  horse  on  such  a 
morning  as  Jamaica  knows  in  May,  before  "  the  rains" 
have  made  up  their  mirfds  to  restore  the  diluvian 


1 02  Tkt  New  Jamaica. 

epoch,  and  commence  the  ascent  of  that  picturesque 
pile  of  geology  and  verdure  known  as  Stony  Hill. 
There  are  a  few  grazing  cattle  in  the  fields,  a  house  or 
two  by  the  wayside,  a  side  path  that  invites  one — with 
that  seductive  way  that  shady  side  paths  have — to 
turn  astray  from  his  road.  After  that  a  sharp  gallop 
over  a  tolerably  level  piece  of  good  road  brings  one 
to  the  Liguanea  water-works,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 
Here  an  well-fashioned  stone  aqueduct  conducts  the 
water  of  the  "  Wag  "  into  a  reservoir,  from  which  the 
distant  city  is  partly  supplied  with  the  fresh,  pure 
water,  which  is  one  of  its  chiefest  blessings. 

From  this  picturesque  structure  the  way  leads  by 
small  banana  cultivations,  and  under  the  shade  of  the 
ubiquitous  mango  trees,  where  the  temperature  is 
delightfully  cool  and  fresh,  and  the  light  very  restful 
to  the  eye,  as  it  is  transmitted  through  the  broad, 
bright  leaves  of  the  banana  plants.  Still  rising,  we 
reach  a  narrow  place,  where,  by  engineering  skill, 
the  good  road  has  been  cut  and  walled  up  to  the 
mountain  side,  and  protected  by  a  substantial  rail,  so 
that  the  unwary  rider  may  not  find  his  descent  of 
Stony  Hill  more  rapid  than  comfort  actually  demands. 

From  this  turn  the  first  extensive  view  greets  us. 
The  mountains  of  the  lower  range,  or  Ramshorn 
Ridge,  stretch  away  to  the  right.  In  the  middle  of 
the  picture  is  a  single  hill,  that  wraps  its  drapery  of 
verdure  about  it  in  solitary  dignity ;  between  these 
two  are  the  upper  end  of  the  Liguanea  Plain  and  dis- 
tant Mona  Vale>  with  its  fresh  and  abundant  green 
marking  the  limit  of  the  sugar-cane  fields  ;  to  the  right 


Stony  Hill  and  Casthton.  103 

lies  the  greater  part  of  the  plain  and  the  sea.  There, 
eight  miles  away  is  Kingston  ;  further  still,  the  line  of 
the  palisades,  the  light-house  and  the  vessels,  that 
look  like  floating  specks  on  the  blue  expanse  of  the 
distant  ocean.  Further  up  Stony  Hill,  we  find,  at  a 


sharp  turn,  teams  to  pass  (which  we  do.  by  following 
the  law  of  the  land,  and  turning  to  the  left),  and  sud- 
den glimpses  of  the  valley,  seen  through,  or  over,  the 
tops  of  orchid-ridden  trees. 

Near  the  top  of  Stony  Hill  is  a  little  settlement,  a 
few  cabins  and  stores,  and  here  a  road  to  the  left 
leads  to  the  grounds  of  the  reformatory,  large  build- 
ings originally  used  as  barracks,  but  now  the  home  of 


104  The  New  Jamaica. 

a  little  army  of  bad  boys,  who  wear  their  uniform  of 
disgrace  with  nonchalant  composure,  and  seem  to  be 
altogether  better  cared  for,  and  better  fed,  and  cleaner 
than  boys  of  the  same  class  who  have  not  yet  been  put 
under  the  government's  fostering  care.  The  houses  of 
the  reformatory  are  large  and  airy,  built  of  white  stone, 
and  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  plains  and  coast 
below.  The  superintendent  denies  that  his  boys  are 
bad  boys — "  only  a  little  wild  and  unruly,"  he  says. 

The  mists  are  still  clinging  to  the  distant  ravines 
and  glens,  as  we  ride  along  the  ridge  overlooking  the 
vale  where  the  Wag  Water  flows.  And  what  a  sight  it 
is !  Here  are  cane  fields ;  there,  acres  of  tobacco ; 
again,  gardens  full  of  all  the  fruit  and  vegetable  prod- 
uce dear  to  the  native  Creole  palate.  Groves  of  cocoa- 
nut;  miles  of  plantain  and  banana;  hillsides  covered 
with  ferns ;  houses,  part  wattled  and  part  daubed  with 
colored  clay  ;  red  flowers  of  the  orchid,  glowing  like 
spots  of  flame  from  the  cottonwood  branches ;  women 
striding  along  under  their  burdens,  destined  for  the 
market  in  Kingston ;  donkeys,  carts — everything,  in 
fine,  that  can  occur  to  one  as  being  desirable  to  enliven 
or  beautify  a  tropical  landscape  on  a  May  morning. 

At  several  points  are  sharp  turns,  where  the  road  fol- 
lows the  dip  of  some  almost  vertical  ravines.  There 
is  an  ancient  and  massive  look  about  the  safeguard 
walls  of  these  places  ;  but  the  most  picturesque,  quaint 
and  solid  looking  piece  of  engineering  on  the  road  is 
where  a  well  buttressed  bridge  spans  the  Wag  Water 
lock  at  the  head  of  the  water-work  system.  From  it 
the  view  of  red  roofed  houses,  nestled  among  the  liv- 


Stony  Hill  and  Castleton,  105 

ing  green,  the  flashing  water,  the  never  ceasing  variety 
of  luxuriant  bloom  on  the  hillsides  and  by  the  river 
banks,  combine  to  satisfy  the  sense,  and  still  to  excite 
the  imagination. 

"  It  is  a  far  call  "  to  Castleton,  but  the  way  seems 
short  by  a  road  where  the  spaces  from  milestone  to 
milestone  are  packed  with  interest  and  paved  with 
beauty. 

And  what  is  Castleton  ?  Far  in  the  interior  of  the 
island,  occupying  a  central  position  between  the  north 
and  the  south  coast,  on  the  road  that  runs  from  King- 
ston to  Annotto  Bay,  nineteen  miles  from  the  former 
place,  nature  made  a  garden  with  all  the  advantages 
of  loveliness  and  fertility  that  a  rich  valley  and  a 
beautiful  stream  could  combine  to  furnish.  Its  slopes 
were  blessed  with  a  sufficient  and  even  rainfall  (109.35 
inches  annually)  ;  its  soil  was  rich  and  deep,  its  cli- 
mate never  cold,  nor  ever  uncomfortably  hot,  the 
mean  temperature  being  74.5°  Far.  That  people 
named  this  spot  of  ground  Castleton  and  not  Eden, 
proved  them  inapt  at  drawing  parallels. 

On  such  a  basis  of  natural  advantages  and  beauty 
the  government  built,  wisely,  a  fairy  garden,  a  sort  of 
tropical  Kew,  where  all  the  strange  and  useful  plants 
of  other  warm  countries  might  be  fostered  and  made 
to  feel  at  home.  Here  bloom  myriads  of  native  and 
imported  orchids.  India  and  the  isles  of  the  sea  have 
been  called  upon  to  contribute  their  valued  foliage, 
and  food  plants,  and  medicinal  trees  and  herbs. 
There  is  a  large  industrial  ground  for  novel  economic 
plants. 


io6  The  New  Jamaica. 

The  nurseries  contain  about  40,000  plants,  such  as 
cacao,  olive,  sugar-cane,  rubber  plants,  nutmeg,  clove, 
black  pepper,  mango,  vanilla,  cardamon,  pineapple, 
sarsaparilla,  cinnamon,  Liberian  coffee,  tea,  etc. 
Taste  and  skill  have  combined  to  arrange  these 
beautiful  trophies  in  a  manner  pleasing  to  the  eye, 
and  good  sense  has  dominated  the  arrangement  so 
that  the  visitor  may  feel  at  his  ease  and  find  comfort 
on  the  benches  that  are  placed  along  the  well-kept 
pathways,  or  enjoy  from  the  shade  of  its  vine-cov- 
ered arbors,  the  swift  Wag,  as  it  loiters  in  rich  circled 
pools,  or  leaps  by  in  eddying  rapids. 

Castleton  is  a  good  place  to  visit,  either  for  pur- 
poses of  social  recreation,  or  more  serious  labor.  The 
landscapist,  the  botanist  or  the  mere  picnicist  are 
alike  satisfied  here. 


IN  THE  HILLS. 


"  How  far  is  it  to  Cherry  Garden  ?  " 
"  Na  too  faa,  maastah." 
"  Thank  you.     Where  does  this  road 
go?" 

"  'E    go   wehevah   you  wansteh   go, 
sah." 

\,     "  Accommodating  road." 
p     "  Yessah,  anywhere  you  wishes — " 
"  Does   it    go    to    Hope    Garden  or 

\ \     ^  \    Constant  Spring  or  Mona  ?  " 

"  No  sah,  none  o'  dem  places,  it   jis 
go  wehevah  you  wants  to  go  an'  'tain'  too  faa." 

One  fork  of  it  led  to  a  gully;  the  dry,  rock-bedded, 
tree-bordered  channel  through  which  the  vernal  and  au- 
tumnal torrents  from  the  mountains  find  their  way  to 
the  sea. 

Growing  wild  on  every  hand  you  will  find  the  prized 
hot-house  treasures  of  your  northern  home.  The  color 
box  of  the  artist  cannot  outdo  the  hues  and  shades  of 
the  scores  of  species  of  orchids.  Lantanas,  blue  and 
purple,  yellow  and  red,  some  dwarfed,  others  gigantic, 
are  scattered  with  the  lavish  hand  of  a  gardener  who 
fears  no  frost  nor  dreads  a  drought.  Wild  peas,  of 
colors  galore,  and  with  a  tropic  vigor  that  fails  at  no 


io8  The  New  Jamaica. 

height,  bedeck  the  fallen  sugar  mill  or  trail  along  the 
cactus  hedge.  Species  of  sensitive  plant,  called 
"  shame  "  by  the  pickaninnies,  and  their  first  cousins, 
the  giant  Cassias,  are  features  of  every  meadow  path 
or  distant  vista.  Here  the  locust  tribe  present  never 
ending  surprises  for  the  student  of 'the  few  modest 
species  in  our  northern  fields  ;  truly  they  seem  to  vie 
with  the  orchids  in  the  variety  of  form  and  color  of 
their  flowers. 

Oxalis,  too,  and  Ranunculus  are  occasional  remind- 
ers of  that  land  where  winter  blasts  and  angry  winds 
have  at  last  driven  to  these  wilds  of  everlasting  June. 

Then  is  no  word,  nor  any  combination  of  words, 
that  will  tell  how  Dame  Nature  has  enriched  these  her 
footpaths  in  the  everlasting  hills. 

Wherever  the  sheer  mountains  have  set  a  brook  as  a 
boundary  between  them,  straightway  there  has  flowed 
a  full  stream  of  exquisite,  multitudinous  life ;  a  foun- 
tain of  youth,  where  we  find  our  boyhood  waiting  for 
us  with  the  old  holiday  zest  of  discovery  and  adven- 
ture. 

Let  us  warn  you,  comrade,  that  like  the  country 
that  honest  John  Bunyan  saw  in  his  vision,  this 
domain  has  castles  dangerous  and  many  a  hill  of  diffi- 
culty. 

Glens  and  jungles  in-these  mountain  slopes  are  only 
open  to  the  most  intrepid  and  persevering  lover  of 
nature.  The  Spanish  dagger,  with  its  needle-tipped 
leaves  and  recurved  sping  serrations,  the  many  species 
of  prickly  pears  and  other  cacti,  all  abounding  in 
bristly  or  pilose  coverings,  with  the  most  excoriat- 


In  the  Hills. 


109 


ing  powers;  the  dreaded  "cow-itch,"  a  powerful 
creeper  with  a  pod  whose  bursting  fills  the  air  with 
myriads  of  floating  spinules,  penetrating  and  poisonous 
to  the  extreme ;  the  various  heavy-trailing  vines, 
parasitic  and  parasite  bearing,  catching  the  foot  at 
every  incautious  step;  the  hidden  ants' nest  beneath 
the  crumbling  loam,  undisturbed  save  at  nature's  great 
plowing  time,  the  season  of  earthquakes  ;  or  the  still 
more  to  be  dreaded  ant  citadel  in  the  crotch  of  the 
sapling  to  which  you  cling  for  temporary  support  :— 
all  these  and  many  other  agents  unsuspected  torment 
and  combine  to  make  the  unwary  and  unobserving  for 
ever  after  a  closer  student  of  the  wonders  if  not  of 
the  beauties  of  nature. 

On  the  hither  border  of  this  domain  is  an  anci-ent 
stone  aqueduct,  terminating  in  one  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque ruins  imaginable,  the  remains  of  an  old  sugar 
mill.  The  gay  foliage  of  the  trees  and  creepers  con- 
trast brilliantly  with  the  cool  gray  tones  of  its  walls. 
The  arch  of  its  upper  windows  frame  mosaics  of  blue 
sky  and  vine  leaves.  Nothing  is  left  of  the  wheel 
now  but  the  wreck  of  its  axle,  black  and  mossy. 
Naught  to  show  where  the  water  flowed  from  its 
sluice  but  the  massed  stalactites  at  the  further  end  of 
the  well. 

A  woman  near  by  is  grubbing  yams  in  a  field,  and  a 
man  with  load  on  head  and  machete  in  hand  stops 
to  speak  to  her.  No  living  being,  born  outside  of 
Jamaica,  could  possibly  understand  their  patois  or 
imagine  it  to  be  a  dialect  of  the  English  tongue. 
Their  voices  alone  break  the  silence  where,  a  hundred 


no  The  New  Jamaica. 

years  ago,  there  was  the  constant  hum  of  industry; 
for  this  was  the  centre  of  one  of  the  great  sugar 
estates  whose  miles  of  cane  fields  waved  where  now 
the  occasional  hut  of  the  free  negro  barely  breaks  the 
thicket.  Can  we,  in  fancy,  re-establish  the  scene? 
Can  we  not  imagine  the  drone  of  the  wheel,  the  song 
of  the  workers,  the  soft  plashing  of  the  stream,  and, 
above  all,  the  fragrance  of  the  bruised  cane  or  the 
river  of  amber  sweetness  fed  by  its  rivulets  of  sap  ? 

Drawn  by  these  memories  of  sweetness,  flits  and 
hovers  that  most  fitful  of  all  butterflies,  the  Banded 
Heliconia — Heliconia  Cliaritonia,  of  the  savants.  Who 
can  lead  a  life  freer  from  care  than  does  this  prince  of 
idleness  ? 

In  these  wildernesses  the  ants  abound  in  numbers 
far  beyond  the  apparent  needs  of  Dame  Nature,  and 
sufficiently  to  afford  a  constant  menace  to  him  who 
would  cast  himself  into  her  verdant  lap.  Ants  that 
are  black  ;  and  yellow,  and  red,  ants  that  crawl  and  ants 
that  fly ;  ants  that  work  and  bite  and  sting — all  and 
others  are  here.  Tunnels  and  turrets  and  towers 
attest  their  architectural  skill.  Great  paper  and  mud 
nests,  high  in  the  trees  above  the  floods,  speak  for 
their  foresightedness,  and  certain  of  their  number 
herding  their  "cows,"  species  of  plant  lice  and  of 
butterfly  larvae,  bear  witness  to  their  thrift  and  ability 
as  masters. 

Nature  is  not  directly  responsible  for  the  presence 
of  all  the  ants  here  in  Jamaica.  Some  have  been 
introduced  in  the  wealth  of  vegetation  from  other 
lands,  for  which  this  paradise  of  the  botanist  is 


In  the  Hills.  1 1 1 

famous.  Formica  Omnivora,  at  times  terrible  in  its 
depredations,  as  its  name  well  indicates,  was  intro- 
duced here  for  the  purpose  of  ridding  the  island  of 
other  insect  pests.  As  in  the  case  of  the  English 
sparrow  and  the  caterpillars  in  our  Eastern  States,  it 
was  introduced  to  do  just  what  it  was  least  likely  it 
would  do,  and,  still  like  its  ornithological  prototype,  it 
has  become  an  ineradicable  nuisance. 

Leaving  the  gorge  and  skirting  a  field  of  pine- 
apples, we  begin  the  ascent  of  an  almost  perpendicular 
hillside.  So  steep  is  it,  in  fact,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
make  it  in  a  straight  line.  We  must  advance  by 
zigzags  towards  the  summit.  Half  way  up  the  hill- 
where  we  do  not  arrive  until  after  several  breathing 
rests — there  is  a  wattled  hut  roofed  with  dry  banana 
leaves.  Still  above  this  we  strike  a  patch  of  guinea- 
grass  and  hills  of  yams  ;  that  is,  if  it  is  proper  to  speak 
of  moles  and  corrugations  on  the  side  of  a  vertical 
plane  as  "  hills."  The  mystery  is  how  any  one  ever 
succeeds  in  teaching  yams  to  grow  in  that  position,  or 
how  the  soil  manages  to  adhere  to  the  hill  frame  with- 
out being  nailed  fast.  Nor  does  it  always  so  adhere. 
Many  a  truck  farmer — save  the  mark  ! — has  awakened 
to  find  that  the  trembling  of  the  earth  which  dis- 
turbed his  slumbers  was  his  yam  field  in  transitu 
towards  the  clearing  of  his  neighbor  in  the  valley 
below  him. 

Look  across  the  valley.  The  well-known  engraving 
by  Hogarth,  in  which  that  artist  turns  to  ridicule  his 
professional  brethren's  proficiency  in  perspective,  is 
outdone  by  the  prospect  before  us.  There,  on  the 


112 


The  New  Jamaica. 


opposite  mountain,  hardly  more  than  a  pistol  shot  away 
are  fields  and  gardens  like  those  we  are  traversing. 
They  are  such  as  appear 'in  all  the  slopes;  spots  and 
patches  where  the  insect,  Homo  Africanus,  has 


\ 


scratched  the  natural  verdure  with  his  hoe,  till,  at  a 
distance,  the.  upper  country  seems  to  be  affected  with 
a  mange.  But  the  singular  feature  of  this  industrial 
display  is,  that  almost  without  exception  these  gar- 


In  the  Hills.  113 

dens  are  wider  at  the  top  than  at  the  bottom,  the 
result  being  a  total  inversion  of  usual  perspective 
effects.  There  is  nothing  to  which  we  can  liken  it, 
but  the  impression  (which  we  all  learned  in  boyhood 
to  appreciate)  of  a  landscape  seen  when  one  is  hanging 
head  downwards  from  a  horizontal  bar. 

In  these  upper  reaches  of  the  foot-hills  we  are  con- 
fronted on  every  hand  with  the  testimony  of  the  rocks 
to  the  upheavals  of  nature,  that  were  necessary  before 
these  crenated  and  water-washed  hills  were  raised 
from  the  bosom  of  the  troubled  waters,  from  beneath 
which  these  portions  of  the  lost  Atlantic  have  at  last 
been  rescued. 

These,  too,  are  the  mountains  of  lost  springs  and 
rivers.  Here  the  mountain  torrent,  white  with  the 
foam  of  boundless  energy  beneath  a  southern  sun,  and 
tired  of  the  beating  ray  and  blistering  rocks,  dips 
down  into  the  cool  cavern  and  is  forever  lost  to  sight. 

From  the  bridle  road  that  girdles  the  hillside,  we 
drop  again  by  a  tortuous,  slippery  path  to  the  valley. 
So  precipitous  is  this  descent  that  it  seems  foolhardy 
for  any  one  but  a  goat  to  attempt  it.  Yet  on  this 
trail,  and  on  a  thousand  like  it,  sturdy,  barefooted 
women,  carrying  heavy  burdens  of  fruit,  pass  and 
repass  daily.  Presently  we  come  to  a  cabin,  built 
mostly  of  bamboo  and  palmetto.  Its  sides  are  woven 
like  a  basket  and  its  roof  is  a  thick  mat  of  thatch,  the 
whole  structure  being  apparently  glued  to  the  hillside, 
which  has  an  angle  of  about  seventy-five  degrees.  In 
front  of  the  hut  stands  its  owner,  a  jolly-looking 
black  fellow,  who  is  engaged  in  an  animated  conversa- 


1 1 4  The  New  Jamaica. 

tion  with  a  young  woman  across  the  way.  And  we 
wish  to  explain,  parenthetically,  that  "  over  the  way  " 
means  just  across  the  valley  on  the  opposite  mountain 
slope,  to  reach  which  one  must  accomplish  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  up  and  down  hill  walking. 
He  is  saying:  "What  you  is  doin'  yonner  topside  ?" 
Topside  is  very  expressive,  but  we  always  supposed  it 
to  belong  to  the  "pigeon  "  vocabulary  of  John  China- 
man. 

Her  answer  is  unintelligible  ;  not  because  of  the  dis- 
tance, but  for  the  reason  that  we  of  the  sketch  book 
and  the  insect  net  have  not  yet  completed  our  educa- 
tion in  unconsonated  English. 

He  responds:  "Ah!  you  bin  tief  banana."  Which 
is  evidently  a  pleasantry,  for  he  turns  to  us  with  a 
merry  smile  on  his  glistening,  ebony  countenance. 

"  How  you  is  dis  maanin',  maastah  ?  " 

Getting  the  needed  information  from  this  cliff- 
dweller,  we  follow  a  path  that  is  bordered  on  both 
sides  by  banana  plants  on  which  the  green  fruit  is 
hanging.  This  is  what  is  here  called  a  "banana 
walk."  Each  plant  bears  a  single  bunch  of  fruit 
placed  at  the  base  of  the  leaves ;  from  it  depends  a 
heavy  plummet-shaped  growth  about  the  size  of  a 
large  orange,  and  reminding  one  of  an  overgrown  and 
undeveloped  rosebud.  Its  color  is  a  deep  maroon, 
and  a  detached  petal  or  two  prove  it  to  be  a  blossom. 

Luxuriant  nature  encourages  idleness  ;  idleness  is 
but  a  step  towards  parasitism.  Here,  in  these  wild 
tangles  of  vine  and  mighty  growths  of  tree  and  under- 
brush and  fern,  parasites  of  the  vegetable  world 


In  the  Hills.  115 

abound  in  every  direction.  From  the  mighty  silk- 
cotton  tree  to  the  tiniest  fern,  all  seem  at  times  to  be 
subject  to  the  sapping  and  deadening  effects  of  some 
parasitic  growth.  Among  the  commonest  of  these  are 
the  many  orchidaceous  plants,  whose  varying  flowers 
of  endless  form  and  color  vie  with  those  of  the  gaudy 
butterflies  and  moths  that  are  attracted  by  them. 
Jamaica  has  furnished  a  number  of  orchids  new  to  the 
botanical  world,  and  it  is  deep  in  these  haunts  that 
these  rarities  should  be  sought.  No  words  of  ours 
can  picture  the  charm  of  many  a  sturdy  trunk  or  limb 
of  some  woodland  giant  as  it  towers  aloft,  draped  in 
these  daintiest  of  vestments.  Surely  no  family  of 
plants  presents  such  variety  of  form  and  color  in  its 
blossoms  as  do  the  orchidaceae ;  some  there  are  that 
so  closely  mimic  the  more  brilliant  butterflies  as  to  be 
readily  mistaken  for  them. 


The  "  air  pines  "  are  another  tribe  of  plants  that  add 
largely  to  the  picturesqueness  of  these  filmy  haunts. 
"  Pine,"  you  must  know,  here  in  the  Antilles,  means 


n6  The  New  Jamaica. 

not  a  tree  or  even  a  bush,  but  applies  only  to  the 
pineapple  tribe,  and  those  plants  which  mimic  them  in 
foliation.  Wild  and  cultivated  pines  there  are,  bearing 
apples  of  varying  flavor  and  juiciness,  from  the 
"  bastard "  to  the  Ripley  pine.  Where  the  line  of 
demarcation  between  a  state  of  unkempt  nature  and 
cultivation  lies,  it  will  always  puzzle  the  uninitiated  to 
discover.  Frequently  cultivation  seems  to  signify 
naught,  save  a  very  slight  degree  of  oversight  to 
prevent  "  buckra  "  from  helping  himself  to  the  fruits 
which  he  supposes  to  be  growing  in  an  uncared  for 
wilderness,  surrounded  as  they  are,  by  every  form  of 
tropic  vegetation  which  will  grow  in  the  dryer  soils  of 
the  slopes. 

Down  a  wood-path,  bordering  a  never  failing  little 
stream  that  years  ago  gained  for  itself  the  name  of  the 
"  Constant  Spring,"  a  name  which  has  extended  to  the 
great  sugar  estate  which  once  depended  upon  it,  a 
ripe  golden  sided  mango  hangs  temptingly  overhead. 
The  mangoes  are  the  common  food  of  the  common 
people  and  the  prized  dessert  of  the  better  classes; 
and  -certainly  nature  has  been  generous  about  the 
supply,  for  you  cannot  go  many  rods  in  any  direction 
without  finding  mango  trees  growing,  either  singly  or 
in  groups,  and  all  laden  with  fruit  which  in  varying 
flavors  will  last  from  late  March  to  Christmas.  But 
between  the  delicious  "number  eleven"  and  the 
commonest,  sort,  there  is  as  wide  a  difference  as 
between  a  gnarled,  no-account  little  cooking  pear  and 
an  old  fashioned  thoroughbred  Bartlett.  The  first  is 
nectar,  the  second  turpentine. 


In  the  Hills.  117 

The  mango  hanging  over  the  way  does  not  hang 
there  long.  It  is  not  a  number  eleven ;  but  it  is 
delicious.  So  much  so,  that  it  encourages  a  taste  for 
further  fruit  stealing.  That  is  the  best  of  this  coun- 
try; it  is  the  paradise  of  the  fruit  lover — the  land 
where  that  rare  old  alchemist,  the  sun,  packs  earth's 
most  delicate  and  fragrant  essences  in  most  attractive 
shapes. 

One  of  our  friends  spends  his  time  in  impressing 
upon  people  the  fact  that  here  the  banana  and  the 
pineapple  are  side  by  side,  and  the  mango  and  the 
naseberry  lie  down  together,  as  it  were,  while  the 
sugar  cane  and  the  sapodillo  are  inseparable,  and  all 
can  be  had  for  the  picking.  It  does  not  seem  as 
though  living  ought  to  be  expensive  where  most  of  the 
people  never  saw  a  store,  where  many  of  them  never 
wear  more  clothing  than  the  law  absolutely  demands, 
and  where  the  most  desirable  food  is  so  convenient 
that  all  the  native  needs  to  do  in  the  way  of  work  is  to 
sleep  under  a  tree  with  his  mouth  open. 

Only  at  night,  however,  can  the  romantic  seeker 
after  Fa-iy-folk  (the  "  filmies  "  of  Jamaica  folk  lore)  hope 
to  see  nature  in  a  mood  when  they  do  most  unbend 
and  elfin  pranks  and  brownie  gambols  are  the  order  of 
the  hour. 

Follow  yon  giant  briefly;  one  of  those  monstrous' 
fellows  whose  single  beam  lights  up  the  student's  page 
or  sheds  a  halo  around  the  dusk  beauty's  head,  lashed 
as  he  is  in  a  harness  of -horsehair  to  the  curly  locks  of 
some  belle  of  the  ballroom.  As  this  one — our  guide 
let  him  be — flits  hither  and  yon  in  search  of  his  less 


n8  The  New  Jamaica. 

brilliant  mate,  a  ray  of  his  light  gives  us  a  momentary 
peep  at  a  fairy  rendezvous;  and  just  as  it  fades  away 
we  have  discerned  a  score  'of  tiny  forms  in  gala  array, 
marshalled  near  a  clump  of  filmy  ferns.  Were  they 
the  filmies  at  last,  or  were  they  some  insect  host  seen 
by  the  flickering  light  and  through  the  eyes  of  a  na- 
ture-lover's imagination  ?  Alas  !  the  fitful  gleam  that 
revealed  them  to  us  has  made  known  our  presence 
to  them,  for  by  the  next  ray  from  this  entomological 
flash-light  we  see  but  the  empty  sod  where  but  a  mo- 
ment before  were  those  mystic  forms. 

Just  as  we  resolve  to  step  with  gentler  tread,  a 
great,  brown  owl,  that  night-watchman  who  never 
needs  the  aid  of  burglar-alarm  or  time-detector,  emits 
his  all  pervading  cry,  "  Oh !  ho !  Oh  !  ho !  a  man 
below ! "  and  then  a  fluttering  sound — had  those 
filmies  wings? — and  a  sound  of  scurrying  and  scam- 
pering tells  us  that  the  spell  is  broken  and  we  of  all 
the  human-shaped  world  are  alone  in  one  of  nature's 
weirdest  habitations. 

Jamaica,  possessed  of  500  miles  of  coast  line  in 
which  bays  and  harbors  abound,  with  but  646  square 
miles  of  plain  and  about  3,550  square  miles  of  moun- 
tain land  is  an  extreme  illustration  of  the  varied  topog- 
raphy which  depends  on  volcanic  origin  followed  by 
centuries  of  erosion.  Here  the  landslip,  the  endless 
chain  of  caverns,  the  sinking  river,  the  resistless  moun- 
tain torrent — raging  to-day  and  dry  in  a  few  hours — 
all  add  to  the  difficulties  which  tropical  vegetation  and 
unsolved  meteorological  and  geological  problems  have 
already  brought  to  the  student. 


In  the  Hills.  119 

The  island  contains  but  4,193  square  miles,  these 
being  less  than  one  sixty-fifth  the  size  of  the  State  of 
Texas  and  less  than  one-third  the  size  of  San  Diego 
County,  California.  Yet,  small  as  is  its  area,  so  varied 
is  its  contour  and  surface  that  it  presents  a  most 
diversified  range  of  scenery  and  climate. 

To  treat  of  the  Geology  of  Jamaica  in  so  narrow 
limits  as  are  here  at  our  command  is  quite  out  of  the 
question.  The  reader  who  desires  to  obtain  an  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  this  feature  of  the  island,  will  do 
well  to  consult  Sawkin's  "Geology  of  Jamaica," 
which,  though  published  some  years  ago,  is  still  the 
standard  authority  on  this  subject.  Suffice  it  here  to 
say  that  the  basis  of  the  island  is  igneous  in  character, 
deposed  upon  which  are  several  distinct  formations. 
White  and  yellow  limestones,  carbonaceous  shales, 
trappean  and  metamorphosed  series,  conglomerates, 
porphoritic  and  granitic  rocks,  alluvial  deposits,  with 
numerous  traces  of  iron,  copper,  lead,  manganese  and 
cobalt  and  some  signs  of  good  marbles  are  so  inter- 
woven and  generally  distributed  as  to  make  the  effect 
on  the  student  quite  confusing  at  first.  The  surface 
of  Jamaica,  as  is  attested  by  the  but  646  square  miles 
of  flat  lands,  is  very  mountainous,  and  m  places  quite 
rugged,  though  always  verdure  clad,  save  where  an 
occasional  washout  or  landslip  has  temporarily  de- 
nuded the  face  of  some  precipitous  hill.  Running 
nearly  due  east  and  west,  the  island  has  a  midrib  or 
backbone  of  mountain  peaks,  the  culminating  point  be- 
ing reached  at  the  peaks  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  south 
of  Hope  Bay  in  Portland  and  on  the  dividing  line  be- 


T20  The  New  Jamaica. 

tween  that  parish  and  that  of  St.  Thomas  ye  East. 
The  highest  of  these  three  peaks  reaches  an  altitude 
of  7,360  feet,  which  is  somewhat  higher  than  any  other 
land  in  Eastern  North  America. 

Several  of  the  subordinate  ranges  approach  the 
main  chain  both  in  height  and  scenic  grandeur.  Thus 
from  Albion,  in  St.  Thomas  beyond  Bellevue  in  St. 
Andrews,  the  St.  Catharine's  range  presents  a  varied 
and  rugged  face  towards  the  south,  raising  to  its 
greatest  elevation  at  Catharine's  Peak  north  of  New- 
castle— 5,070  feet — and  shutting  out  the  higher  peaks 
of  the  Blue  Mountains  from  the  plains  of  Liquaneaand 
Rio  Cobre.  So,  too,  the  plains  to  the  north  of  Yallahs, 
in  St.  Thomas,  are  for  the  most  part  shut  out  from 
a  view  of  the  Blue  Mountains  by  the  Coward's  and 
Queensbury  Ridges,  which,  at  Yallahs  Hill,  culminate 
in  an  elevation  of  2,348  feet.  So  abrupt  are  these 
cross  and  parallel  ridges,  and  so  woven  together  in  a 
network  of  peak  and  valley,  ridge  and  ravine,  that  it 
has  been  impossible  for  us  to  more  than  indicate  the 
position  of  a  few  of  the  principal  mountain  sum- 
mits. 

Jamaica  is  much  higher  to  the  eastward,  and  greatly 
reduced  in  general  elevation  for  a  long  stretch  before 
the  western  limit  is  reached.  This  is  interesting  to 
the  student  of  mountain  ranges  and  island  formations, 
as  it  is  one  of  the  very  few  exceptions  to  a  very  gen- 
eral rule  to  the  contrary  long  ago  pointed  out  by  Dar- 
win and  others. 

The  well  timbered  and  vine  clad  hills  are  every- 
where riven  by  the  streams,  which  become  raging  tor- 


/;/  the  Hills.  121 

rents  in  time  of  heavy  rains  and  which  during  droughts 
are  but  empty  caftons  or  gorges  of  great  beauty  and 
wildness. 

As  elsewhere  stated,  these  rivers  are  notable  for  the 
remarkable  fact  that  many  of  them  never  reach  the 
sea.  As  in  the  cave  regions  of  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see, so  in  Jamaica  there  are  a  number  of  rivers  that 
disappear  into  cavernous  openings  in  the  earth,  some 
never  to  appear  again,  so  far  as  is  yet  known,  others 
only  at  considerable  distances,  and  under  new  names. 
Probably  the  most  remarkable  case  of  a  lost  stream  is 
that  of  Hector's  River  on  the  southern  boundary  of 
the  Parish  of  Trelawney,  which  after  about  twelve 
miles  on  the  surface,  suddenly  drops  in  the  wild 
honeycomb  formation  east  of  Accompong  Town,  only 
to  be  resurrected  at  Oxford  in  Manchester  under  the 
name  of  the  One  Mye  River. 

After  another  brief  surface  course  it  is  lost  to 
sight  under  a  ridge  of  the  Bogue  Hills.  From 
the  other  side  of  this  ridge  it  emanates  at  both 
Mexico  and  Island  Estates  in  the  Parish  of  St.  Eliza, 
beth,  rushing  forth  with  a  considerably  increased  vol- 
ume. From  these  points  for  a  space  of  forty-four 
miles  now  known  as  the  Black  River,  it  winds  its  way 
through  the  Savannahs  and  swamps  until  it  reaches  the 
coast  at  the  Bay  of  Black  River.  This  is  unquestion- 
ably the  largest  river  on  the  island,  and  it  is  the  only 
one  on  which  navigation  can  be  carried  on  at  all  times 
of  the  year  for  any  considerable  distance.  It  is  not 
by  disappearance  into  caverns  that  a  number  of  the 
rivers  of  Jamaica  are  lost  to  sight,  but  .by  actual  evap- 


122  The  New  Jamaica. 

oration,  as  they  run  over  the  pebbles  and  between  the 
boulders  under  the  scorching  and  blistering  tropical 
sunlight.  It  is  a  common  occurrence  to  find  that  some 
ever-flowing  mountain  stream,  vigorous  even  in  times 
of  drought,  will  slowly  dwindle  away  as  it  emerges  from 
the  shadows  of  the  heavy  woods  of  the  mountain 
gorges.  Such  a  stream,  so  easily  evaporated  in  the  dry 
season,  reaches  the  coast  after  the  terrific  downpours 
of  the  wet  season  with  resistless  volume  and  velocity. 
Then  it  is  that  these  usually  very  insignificant  creeks 
or  brooks  earn  their  right  to  be  called  rivers.  Fortu- 
nately the  Department  of  Public  Works  is  fast  putting 
up  good  and  durable  bridges  over  nearly  all  the 
streams  which  are  really  formidable  barriers  to  safe 
travel  during  the  season  of  rains,  and  soon  there 
will  be  but  little  of  this  sort  for  the  traveller  to 
dread. 

Well  watered  as  is  the  greatest  part  of  Jamaica,  still 
there  are  extensive  districts  in  the  middle  and  western 
parts  of  the  island  which  are  almost  barren  of  water. 
This  is  not  due  to  the  entire  absence  of  water  courses, 
for  there  too  the  ravines,  usually  dry,  carry  off  a  con- 
siderable rainfall  during  short  periods,  though  there 
are  long  stretches  of  weeks  and  even  months  when  no 
rain  falls,  leaving  the  inhabitants  in  sore  distress.  As 
the  principal'  mountain  ranges  trend  east  and  west,  it 
is  plain  that  most  of  the  rivers  will  take  a  northerly  or 
southerly  course.  At  the  eastern  end  of  the  island  the 
Plantain  Garden  River,  and  at  the  northwestern  ex- 
tremity the  Montejo  River  are  the  only  notable  excep- 
tions to  this  rule.  A  further  discussion  of  the  rivers  of 


In  the  Hills.  123 

the  island,  with  descriptions  of  their  peculiarities  and 
beauties,  will  be  found  in  the  general  description  of 
tours  among  the  parishes. 

The  geological  structure  of  Jamaica  is  such  as  to 
lead  the  observer  at  once  to  look  for  caves,  and  through- 
out the  island,  though  principally  west  of  the  Parish 
of  St.  Andrews,  numbers  of  these,  many  of  which  are 
in  all  probability  connected  by  long  series  of  subter- 
ranean passages,  will  be  found. 

In  the  early  days  of  Maroon  warfare  they  were  con- 
stantly employed  by  that  freedom-loving  people  for 
the  purpose  of  eluding  their  enemies.  It  is  also  prob- 
able that  many  of  those  nearest  the  seacoast  were  used 
by  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  buccaneers  as  rendez- 
vous and  for  the  storing  of  their  booty.  It  must  be  con- 
fessed that  it  is  from  this  point  of  view  that  these  cav- 
erns are  looked  upon  with  most  interest  by  Jamaicans, 
and  the  negro  fables  and  superstitions  attached  to 
some  of  them  would  furnish  the  romancer  food  for 
many  a  stirring  tale. 

In  common  with  all  cavernous  countries  Jamaica  is 
almost  devoid  of  lakes  ;  none  really  worthy  the  name 
are  to  be  found.  Ponds,  both  fresh  and  salt,  there  are  , 
usually  the  latter,  along  the  south  coast.  A  lake  has 
been  recently  reported  as  present  near  the  summit  of 
the  John  Crow  Mountains,  in  the  Parish  of  Portland, 
but  judging  from  the  description  given  by  the  intrepid 
explorer  who  visited  this  wild  and  unsettled  region,  it 
is  rather  to  be  set  down  as  a  large  sink  hole,  or  perhaps 
the  eroded  crater  of  a  long  extinct  volcano.  Sink 
holes  there  are  without  number,  several  of  them  being 


124 


The  New  Jamaica. 


both  by  situation  and  formation  very  weird  and  pic- 
turesque. Many  of  these  receive  notice  in  other  chap- 
ters. 


AN  EARLY  START. 


STARTING  from  the  American  Hotel,  at  Constant 
Spring,  early  on  a  June  morning  (for  this  is  a  summer 
outing),  we  commence  a  long  promised  tour  which 
shall  take  us  through  all  the  coast  towns  and  villages 
of  Jamaica.  An  inspection  of  the  "  buggy,"  or  two 
seated  covered  trap,  results  satisfactorily.  Richard 
Davis,  the  best  driver  in  Jamaica,  is  on  the  front  seat, 
and  beside  him  is  piled  the  necessary  luggage  for  a 
three  weeks  jaunt.  The  horses,  able  and  willing  to  do 
all  the  work  required  of  them,  wait  for  us  without  any 
of  that  unreasonable  anxiety  and  impatience  which 
less  experienced  horses  might  show.  They  have 
never  been  abused  nor  worn  out,  but  they  are  not 
novices  at  long  distance  pulling.  They  will  take  us 
over  mountains,  around  coast  roads,  through  valleys, 
in  sun  and  rain,  for  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  and 
be  back  in  twenty-one  days,  very  little  thinner  or  less 
serviceable  than  now.  Richard,  too,  deserves  a  word 
of  special  notice.  A  perfect  guide-book  and  ready 
reference  is  he,  furnished  with  marginal  notes  and 
bound  in  brown  leather.  Having  driven  "  His 
'Xc'llency  de  Gov'nah "  he  has  acquired  dignity ; 
being  intelligent  and  humane,  he  drives  skilfully, 
without  injury  to  his  charges,  the  horse-kind  ;  and  as 


126  The  New  Jamaica. 

for  the  human-kind  under  his  care,  we  gave  ourselves 
up  with  a  sigh  of  relief  to  his  ministrations.  We  took 
no  thought  for  the  horses  feed,  nor  the  location  of  the 
best  lodging-houses,  nor  the  exact  position  of  points  of 
interest.  Richard  would  not  fail  to  furnish  the  desired 
information  when  required.  He  is  the  only  boy  of  his 
class  that  we  ever  saw  who  can  give  an  accurate  esti- 
mate of  the  distance  between  two  places. 

A  few  hand-shakes  and  we  were  off.  The  sun  had 
risen  before  us,  as  we  were  late  in  starting,  as  people 
usually  are  on  such  occasions.  But  those  who  imag- 
ine that  a  June  morning  in  Jamaica,  even  after  the  sun 
has  risen,  is  anything  less  than  delightful,  must  have 
had  his  mind  poisoned  by  false  reports,  or  else  be  so 
puffed  up  with  pride  over  his  own  particular  climate, 
wherever  it  may  be,  that  he  has  no  just  appreciation 
of  any  other  sort  of  weather. 

While  we  are  jogging  down  through  Paradise  Town 
towards  the  Windward  road,  in  the  dewy  freshness  of 
the  early  day,  it  will  be  a  good  time  to  say  a  few 
words  to  the  people  who  are  forever  pitying  the  man 
or  woman  who  outstays  the  winter  in  this  latitude. 
Of  course  the  midday  sun  is  hot.  Of  course  people 
who  are  not  used  to  it  must  expect  headaches,  and 
even  fevers,  if  they  exercise  in  it  too  much  before 
becoming  accustomed  to  it,  or  without  taking  the 
proper  precautions  as  to  clothing  and  drink.  Of 
course  it  is  hot  enough  to  cook  eggs.  What  would 
you  have  in  latitude  17°? 

But  be  assured  that,  having  taken  fewer  precautions 
than  the  Northerner  expects  of  his  brother  from  the 


An  Early  Start.  127 

tropics,  who  visits  him  in  midwinter,  after  a  few  weeks 
residence  we  have  walked  for  ten  or  fifteen  miles  over 
the  hills,  through  the  hottest  part  of  the  day,  with  an 
unclouded  sky  overhead,  and  enjoyed  it. 

But  this  is  sunshine  we  are  talking  about.  Come 
into  the  shade,  and  you  will  laugh,  as  we  did,  over  the 
discomfiture  of  New  York,  Philadelphia  or  Chicago 
people,  who  are  sweltering  in  an  atmosphere  of  hu- 
midity with  the  thermometer  'way  up  in  the  nineties, 
while  yours  registers  83°  or  84°,  and  the  constant 
breeze  is  dry  and  pure.  There  are  some  old  notions 
that  must  be  reconsidered,  old  judgments  that  will 
have  to  be  reversed.  That  fallacy  about  Jamaica's 
climate  is  one  of  them. 

We  are  swinging  out  between  the  pound  and  the 
lunatic  asylum,  past  Chelsea  pier,  towards  Long 
Mountain.  There,  high  up  on  its  side  in  the  sunshine, 
is  a  bare  rock  that  looks  like  a  house,  and,  further  on,  a 
house  that  might  be  mistaken  for  a  rock,  with  some- 
where near  them  the  trace  of  a  road.  As  we  near  the 
narbor  head  we  see  a  large  barge,  rowed  by  convicts, 
making  its  way  for  Rock  fort.  The  landing  and  dis- 
charge of  its  living  freight  is  a  surprise.  „  Where  under 

the  -  — deck did  that  long  line  of  prisoners  come 

from?  They  march,  two  and  two,  to  a  quarry,  near 
which  we  pass.  They  are  dressed  in  loose,  cool-look- 
ing white  sacking,  and  each  one  has  painted  upon  the 
back  of  his  upper  garment  certain  cabalistic  signs, 
figures  and  letters,  which  give  more  information 
regarding  his  name,  rank  in  crime,  and  condition  of 
servitude  that  we  have  pretended  to  remember. 


128  The  New  Jamaica. 

Close  to  the  quarry  is  Rock  fort,  an  impotent  but 
picturesque  piece  of  military  architecture  that  the 
Spaniards  set  much  store -by,  till  they  found  that  the 
shot  from  English  guns  found  their  way  over  it.  It  is 
not  useful  at  present,  though  highly  ornamental,  and 
the  arch  at  the  rear,  under  which  we  on  the  road  must 
pass,  is  fairly  green  with  moss  and  romance.  Rock- 
fort  is  one  of  the  most  perfectly  satisfactory  things  in 
its  way  that  man  ever  imagined. — The  view  of  the 
fort  from  the  harbor  is  fine,  and  the  view  of  the  harbor 
from  the  fort  beggars  description.  But  we  could  not 
help  wondering  how  those  poor  rascals  bending  over 
the  stone  piles,  with  their  backs  marked  like  so  much 
merchandise,  regarded  it.  The  masonry  is  in  good 
repair  and  the  place  is  occupied  by  the  colonial 
department.  To  the  un military  man  its  reason  for 
being  is  a  mystery,  since  at  present  it  guards  nothing. 


ON  THE  WINDWARD  ROAD, 


HAVING  passed  Rock  fort  and  the  harbor  Jhead, 
skirted  the  foot  of  Long  Mountain,  where  its  magnifi- 
cent wooded  flank  sweeps  in  a  horseshoe  curve  from 
east  to  south,  and  forded  the  uncertain  waters  of  the 
Hope  River,  we  come  to  a  wide,  stony  river  bed, 
dry  but  for  a  miniature  stream  that  steals  along, 
under  a  fringe  of  bushes,  to  the  ocean.  Half  a  mile 
away,  upon  the  other  side  of  the  stony  level,  com- 
mence the  foot-hills,  that  rise  rapidly  and  acquire 
dignity  and  proportions  till  they  look  clown  upon  us 
from  the  cloud  society  they  have  got  into. 

We  have  left  our  carriage  in  the  shadow  of  a  tree 
near  the  roadside,  and  with  an  admonition  to  the 
driver  to  keep  watch,  start  for  the  gorge,  that  must  lie 
somewhere  beyond  that  first  wooded  spur  to  the  left. 
As  we  turn  the  point  the  view  is  striking  and  impres- 
sive. On  the  right  the  morning  shadows  still  lie, 
while  the  mountain  at  our  left  is  radiant  with  sunlight. 
The  water  worn  rocks  over  which  we  are  passing,  tell 
their  own  story  of  sudden  flood  and  overflow,  and  as 
we  get  into  a  narrower  valley  where  it  begins  to  close 
up  to  the  ravine  a  mile  or  two  beyond,  there  are 
further  evidences  apparent  of  strong  floods.  Here  and 
there  the  earth  is  cut  away,  making  a  sharp  terrace. 


130 


77/6'  New  Jamaica. 


Then  we  approach  closer  to  the  rocks  and  see  a  well- 
worn  water-mark,  higher  than  a  man's  head.  It  seems 
hardly  possible  to  believe  that  the  little  brook  at  our 
feet  can  swell  to  that.  Further  still,  and  we  enter  a 
canon  whose  walls,  several  hundred  feet  in  height,  rise 
sheer  on  either  side.  There  must  have  been  a  grand 
convulsion  of  nature  here  at  some  time,  for  on  -our 
left  the  strata  of  the  rock  may  be  seen  almost  vertical, 
clear  to  the  top. 

As  we  ascend,  the 
stream  grows  larger. 
On  the  plain  much  of  it 
has  evaporated.  We 
come  to  falls,  piled  up 
rocks,  whirling-pools ; 
looking  into  some  of 
these  we  find  that  they 
are  full  of  Mountain 
Mullet,  a  treat  for  a 
sportsman  ;  then  a  nar- 
row gateway,  beyond 
which  the  gorge  widens 
a  little,  and  we  mount 
by  a  well  built  stone 
pathway,  a  sort  of  Ja- 
cob's ladder,  through  a  cave  and  under  an  overhanging 
rock  to  the  principal  fall.  It  is  a  spot  to  dream  about— 
to  be  enthusiastic  over ;  and  yet  we  found  few  people 
in  Kingston,  less  than  ten  miles  away,  that  knew  of  its 
existence.  Most  of  them  could  tell  you  more  of  some 
cascade  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  or  the  Catskills 


On  the   Windward  Road.  131 

of  New  York,  either  of  which  might  play  second  to 
this  dainty  bit  of  Jamaican  scenery. 

Occasionally  a  party  drive  out  there  to  picnic. 
That  is  one  good  thing  about  Jamaica :  a  picnic 
party  leaves  no  sign.  The  ubiquitous  negro  appropri- 
ates anything  in  the  way  of  tin  or  paper,  and  John 
Crow  takes  care  of  all  other  fragments.  Returning  to 
our  trap  we  are  soon  on  the  way  to  Yallahs,  crossing 
by  the  way  of  the  Yallahs  River,  a  stream  much  like 
these  we  have  described  only  larger  than  they ;  it  is 
too  wide  and  too  shifting  to  be  successfully  bridged, 
and  so  it  is  very  likely  that  passengers  will  continue  to 
take  the  chances  of  sudden  floods  and  the  danger 
attending  them.  Not  long  ago  a  whole  family  was 
lost  on  this  spot,  and  frequently  those  travelling  this 
road  have  been  caught  for  two  or  three  days  between 
Hope  and  Yallahs,  in  a  region  where  lodging  houses 
are  an  unknown  quantity. 

Easington,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  parish  of  St. 
Davids,  before  that  parish  was  merged  into  St. 
Thomas,  lies  inland  on  the  Yallahs  River.  It  has 
quite  a  fine  suspension  bridge  and  is  reached  by  a  very 
fair  road.  The  court  meets  here  twice  during  the 
month.  It  is  one  of  the  five  principal  towns  of  St. 
Thomas;  the  others  being  Bath,  Port  Morant,  Morant 
Bay  and  Yallahs  Bay. 

Just  before  reaching  Yallahs  River  we  come  to  the 
great  sugar  estate  of  Albion  ;  broad  acres  of  growing 
cane,  through  which  at  frequent  intervals  flow  the 
irrigating  streams,  so  necessary  to  successful  cane 
culture.  Beyond  these  fields  are  long  lines  of  barracks 


132  The  New  Jamaica. 

or  "  quarters,"  painted  white,  and  flanking  the  clus- 
tered stone  and  brick  buildings  of  the  estate.  A 
flavor  of  sugar,  and  a  vague  suggestion  of  something 
more  potent  hangs  over  the  whole  place.  There  is  a 
moist  freshness  and  greenness  in  these  big  cane  fields 
that  one  seeks  for  in  vain  elsewhere  in  the  tropics. 
An  anonymous  author,  in  a  recently  published  paper 
in  'Blackwood's  Magazine, — one  from  whom  we  may 
quote  again,  as  his  statement  of  the  condition  of  affairs 
in  Jamaica  seems  the  fairest  and  truest  of  any  recently 
published,  says : 

"  Now,  as  heretofore,  the  most  important  agricultu- 
ral produce  of  Jamaica,  as  far  as  the  outside  world  is 
concerned,  is  the  cane,  and  sugar  and  rum  are  the 
largest  exports.  In  .most  districts  in  the  island  the 
eye  is  at  once  attracted,  by  the  stretches  of  emerald 
green  cane-pieces,  and,  in  the  centre  of  each  estate,  by 
the  tall  cHimney  of  the  engenio  where  the  crop  is 
crushed,  the  juice  is  operated  on,  and  the  refuse  of  one 
manufacture  forms  the  basis  of  another.  The  halcyon 
days  of  the  sugar  industry  are  past,  and  the  profits  of 
old  times  may  never  be  reaped  again  ;  but  even  under 
present  conditions,  the  sugar-cane  crop  pays  well,  and 
capital  coupled  with  energy  and  industry  have,  as  we 
said  above,  no  reason  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  result 
of  their  efforts." 

The  last  fiscal  report  shows  that  there  are  a  total  of 
32,^15  acres  of  cane,  under  cultivation  in  Jamaica,  a 
falling  off  of  nearly  one  quarter  during  a  decade. 
This  reduced  cultivation  is  said  to  be  caused  by  the  low 
price  of  muscovado  sugar  in  the  European  markets. 


On  the    Windward  Road.  133 

The  Albion  estate,  considered  for  many  years  one 
of  the  best  and  richest  in  the  island,  contains  4,976 
acres,  only  a  few  hundred  of  which  are  now  under 
cultivation.  All  the  latest  improvements  in  sugar 
machinery  are  in  use  there,  vacuum  pans  and  centrifu- 
gal process;  yet  the  other  day  it  went  to  the  hammer. 

Leaving  Albion  with  its  living  green  behind  us, 
beyond  the  Yallahs  River,  we  drive  into  the  pictur- 
esque straggling  little  town  of  Yallahs,  around  a  turn 
in  the  road  and  up  to  Mother  Noel's  house.  A 
good  sized  two-story  frame  house  it  is,  with  a  steep 
stairway  at  one  side,  by  which  you  ascend  to  the 
entrance  on  the  second  floor.  Mother  Noel  herself 
meets  us  at  the  door  and  conducts  us  into  a  neat 
parlor  or  hall,  which  occupies  the  centre  of  the  house, 
and  from  which  four  rooms  open.  There  is  a  passage 
at  the  front,  going  clear  across,  and  another  to  match 
it  at  the  rear ;  from  either  of  these  the  main  room  is 
entered.  This  apartment  contains  some  rather  good 
old  mahogany  furniture,  solid,  of  course,  as  all 
furniture  is  in  this  country,  where  mahogany  may  be 
had  almost  for  the  cutting.  Mother  Noel,  now  in  the 
neighborhood  of  eighty  years,  has  passed  much  of  her 
life  here,  and  is  widely  known  to  travellers  as  one  who 
keeps  a  contented  mind,  a  good  reputation  and  an 
excellent  table.  There  are  few  lodgings,  in  Jamaica 
or  elsewhere,  where  one  can  procure  a  good  cup  of 
coffee,  but  this  is  one  of  the  few. 

Beyond  Yallahs,  after  passing  the  salt  ponds,  the 
country  is  full  of  streams  which  one  must  ford,  the 
water  often  coming  up  to  the  wagon  hubs.  There  are 


134  The  New  Jamaica. 

stones  told  of  different  people  who  have  been  caught 
by  the  sudden  rising  of  these  waters.  A  sailor,  and 
later  still,  a  postman,  lost  their  lives  in  trying  to  "do" 
the  fords  when  the  rivers  were  "  down."  Finally  we 
reach  Morant  Bay,  a  small  place  where  there  is  little 
accommodation  for  the  traveller,  but  much  to  interest 
one,  both  in  the  natural  scenery  and  sea  view  and  in 
the  large  shipments  of  fruit  made  from  here.  Besides 
this,  there  is  much  that  is  interesting  to  the  student 
of  history  in  Morant  Bay. 

We  could  not  find  lodgings,  the  one  room  devoted 
to  that  purpose  in  the  town  being  already  pre-empted; 
but  we  were  afterwards  rejoiced  that  it  was  so  and 
inclined  to  attribute  it  to  good  fortune,  as  we  were 
kindly  entertained  by  a  gentleman  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, from  whose  house  on  the  hill  all  that  is  most 
attractive  in  the  neighborhood  is  included  in  one 
comprehensive  view. 

It  was  here  at  Morant  Bay  that  the  first  scene  in 
the  tragedy  of  October,  1865,  was  enacted,  as  already 
related  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  book.  The 
vestry  of  St.  Thomas  ye  East,  met  at  the  court-house 
at  Morant  Bay  for  the  transaction  of  parochial  busi- 
ness. At  three  o'clock  on  the  eleventh  day  of  the 
month,  several  hundred  people,  crying,  "  Color  for 
color,"  closed  in  about  the  building  and  began  to 
stone  the  volunteers,  who  were  drawn  up  to  guard  the 
members  of  the  vestry.  The  story  has  been  well  told 
in  the  following  concise  language. 

"  The  Riot  Act  was  read  and  the  Volunteers  fired, 
but  they  were  soon  overpowered.  A  hand-to-hand 


On  the   Windward  Road.  135 

struggle  ensued,  during  which  Captain  Hitchins,  faint 
from  the  loss  of  blood,  rested  on  the  knee  of  a  Volun- 
teer the  rifle  he  had  taken  from  a  murdered  comrade 
and  fired  his  two  remaining  rounds  of  ammunition. 
He  was  then  surrounded  and  hacked  to  death.  All 
the  officers  and  many  of  the  members  of  the  Volun- 
teer Corps  nobly  died  at  their  post,  gallantly  doing 
their  duty.  The  Custos  of  the  Parish,  the  Curate  of 
Bath,  the  Inspector  of  Police,  and  a  number  of 
Magistrates  and  other  personages  were  also  mur- 
dered." 

One  who  journeyed  through  this  same  region  only  a 
few  years  ago,  spoke  of  the  clouded  looks  and  morose 
expression  of  the  negroes,  who  seemed  to  remember 
the  terrible  chastisement  which  followed  this  outbreak, 
and  to  be  waiting  their  chance  for  revenge  ;  but  to-day 
there  seems  to  be  nothing  left  of  this  feeling.  When 
a  man  was  starving,  or  next  door  to  it,  waiting  his 
chance  for  a  job  which  would  pay  him  a  shilling  a  day, 
he  could  afford  to  remember  a  smart ;  but  after  he  has 
found  it  better  to  work  than  to  brood,  he  begins  to 
forget  past  grievances.  Fruit  growing  and  other 
blessings  that  have  come  in  its  train  have  gone  far  to 
make  a  contented  peasantry,  and  to  draw  a  veil  over 
the  horrible  events  of  less  than  a  generation  ago. 
Although  the  buildings  were  nearly  all  burnt  at  the 
time  we  have  written  of,  there  are  now  a  hospital, 
almshouse,  court-house  and  constabulary  station,  an 
iron  market  building,  a  post-office  and  telegraph 
station,  an  Episcopal  church  and  one  belonging  to  the 
Wesleyan  congregation.  This  for  a  town  of  little 


136  The  New  Jamaica. 

more  than  one  thousand  people  is  not  a  poor  show- 
ing. 

Bidding  farewell  to  our  good  host  at  Morant  Bay, 
we  approach  Port  Morant,  where  Captain  Baker's 
estate  of  Bowden  is,  and  from  which  a  quantity  of  fine 
bananas  are  shipped  by  the  various  companies  engaged 
in  the  fruit  business.  It  is  interesting  to  see  the 
great  vessels  of  the  Atlas,  the  Boston  Co.,  and  other 


steamship  lines  come  into  this  quiet,  enclosed  harbor 
and  transform  its  repose  into  activity. 

But  we  are  going  on  a  little  too  fast.  We  pass  on 
the  way  woods,  where  it  is  said  that  the  hero  of  old 
time  melodramas,  "  Three-fingered  Jack,"  performed 
his  feats  of  derrins  do.  Of  course  the  searching  eye  of 


On  the   Windward  Road.  137 

modern  investigation  has  reduced  Jack  to  the  vulgar 
proportions  of  a  brutal  negro  foot  pad,  whom  we  are 
glad  not  to  meet  nowadays. 

The  Morant  River  has  quite  a  delta,  and  at  its  broad- 
est branch  we  stop  to  watch  the  women  who  are  wash- 
ing and  gossiping  just  above  us. 

There  is  a  riding  road  along  the  Morant  River,  to  a 
place  in  the  interior  called  Island  Head,  in  the  coffee 
region.  From  Island  Head,  a  bridle  path  will  take 
one,  by  the  course  of  an  old  road  built  by  Governor 
Trelawney,  in  the  last  century,  but  now  gone  to  ruin, 
over  the  mountains  and  into  the  Maroon  settlement 
of  Nanny  Town,  named  after  their  once  notorious 
chief.  We  will  have  more  to  say  about  this  place  in 
another  chapter. 

On  the  way  to  Port  Morant  we  must  not  miss  the 
view  from  the  turn  in  the  road  above  "  White  Horses," 
a  cliff  which  makes  a  prominent  coast  mark  to  mari- 
ners, and  whence  a  grand  ocean  view  with  foreground 
of  picturesque  rock  and  enchanting  verdure  makes  the 
traveller  long  to  pitch  his  tabernacle  there. 

The  nearer  approach  to  the  shipping  place  of  Bow- 
den  is  first  through  the  village  of  Port  Morant,  a  little 
cluster  of  houses  and  cabins  around  a  cross  road  where 
some  great  trees  throw  their  shade  ;  beyond  whose 
trunks  are  vistas  of  white  road,  thatched  roofs,  palm 
tops  and  streams.  Then  the  way  skirts  an  unsavory 
morass,  into  which  the  tide  flows  among  the  mangrove 
stalks.  After  that  a  sharp  turn,  and  it  follows  the 
curve  of  a  hill  base,  passes  a  little  settlement  and  ends 
at  the  storehouses  and  wharf. 


The  New  Jamaica. 


On  the    Windward  Road.  139 

From  here,  as  from  the  hill  top,  the  view  is  wonder- 
fully fine  and  the  air  all  that  could  be  desired.  In 
spite  of  the  swamp,  the  people  seem  to  be  blessed 
with  abundant  health.  Bowden  is  one  of  a  number  of 
estates  which,  no  longer  valuable  for  sugar  and  rum 
producing,  are  adding  their  quota  to  the  new  wealth 
of  fruit  and  cocoanuts. 

Many  people  are  bringing  down  the  bananas  from 
their  little  fields,  back  in  the  hills.  They  are  put  into 
the  storehouse  in  open  slat  crates  or  bins,  where  the  air 
has  full  access  to  them.  All  the  fruit  is  picked  green 
and  shipped  in  that  condition,  and  when  placed  on 
board  the  steamers  is  so  arranged  that  each  separate 
bunch  is  well  ventilated.  This  is  done  by  building  open 
stalls  of  slats  between  decks,  or  hanging  the  bunches 
in  tiers.  Great  canvas  funnels  are  put  down  through 
the  hatches  whenever  the  weather  is  sufficiently  fine 
to  allow  the  latter  to  remain  open,  and  these,  with 
their  broad  mouth's  stretched  open  to  catch  the  breeze, 
carry  it  into  the  hold. 


BATH  AND  MANCHIONEAL 


THE  country  is  richer  and  more  tropical  as  we  leave 
the  coast  and  drive  up  towards  Bath.  At  Pprt  Morant, 
or  near  that  point,  the  road  makes  a  sharp  turn  to  the 
north,  and  the  impression  of  lavish  expenditure  of  en- 
ergy on  the  part  of  nature  is  heightened  at  every  step. 
The  road  in  the  neighborhood  of  Port  Morant  used  to 
be  famous  for  nothing  so  much  as  its  mud.  People 
stuck  there  frequently ;  especially  was  that  the  case 
with  the  heavy  wagons  loaded  with  rum  and  sugar, 
which  now  travel  easily  on  one  of  the  best  roads  the 
island  affords.  There  are  twenty  miles  of  this  highway 
where  you  will  not  find  a  break,  or  any  unevenness  or 
mud.  It  is  as  perfect  as  possible,  and  £$oo  per  annum 
keeps  the  whole  twenty  miles  in  repair.  When  you 
consider  that  this  road  is  solidly  built,  with  stone 
culverts,  bridges,  rock  terracing  and  hill  work  all  the 
way,  the  result  surprises  you. 

The  negroes  who  work  upon  the  road  are  small  con- 
tractors. Work  on  concrete,  iron  work  or  what  not  is 
done  at  so  much  per  yard,  and  the  workers  earn  from 
one  to  two  shillings  per  diem,  usually  knocking  off  on" 
Saturday,  reserving  that  for  market  or  field  work. 

As  we  advance  we  lose  the  bits  of  marine  view  that 
added  so  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  Windward  road. 


Bath  and  Manchioneal.  141 

These  views  are  replaced  by  no  less  enchanting  glens 
and  ravines,  into  which  the  rich,  deep,  pervading,  all- 
enveloping  fulness  of  sylvan  life  floods  like  a  tide, 
overshadowing  the  road  and  rolling  in  billows  of 
verdure  up  the  hillsides.  Along  such  a  way,  past 
a  curious  hillside  with  vertical  strata;  marking  the 
end  of  a  moraine  and  making  a  note  of  interroga- 
tion for  those  who  would  limit  glacial  action  to 
the  continents  ;  stopping  at  springs  where  the  abun- 
dant copper  ore  told  the  mountain's  secret  ;  crossing 
bridges  and  driving  through  fords,  we  reached  Bath. 
Bath, — once  fashionable,  but  now  only  occasionally 
visited;  Bath, — where  the  lotus  must  have  been  im- 
ported with  the  other  rarities,  upas,  cork,  gamboge 
and  such  like  trees,  in  the  old  garden,  so  that  the  trav- 
eller sits  him  down  in  Mistress  Duffy's  parlor  and  is 
straightway  content  to  let  the  world  outside  go  as  it 
will  without  him. 

May  we  speak  of  G.,  who  tarried  to  show  us  the  gar- 
dens and  sanitarium  and  to  do  the  honors  for  the  hills 
and  watercourses?  or  of  Mrs.  S.,  whose  collected  pam- 
phlets were  such  an  aid  to  us,  and  whose  garden  with 
its  flowers  and  fruit  and  chances  for  entomological 
research  was  such  a  delight  ?  or  of  S.,  the  direc- 
tor whom  we  met  at  the  bath,  whose  attentions 
were  so  helpful  to  us  ?  These  were  only  a  few  of 
many  who  added  to  the  enjoyment  of  our  sojourn. 

The  baths,  which  are  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
the  town,  which  owes  its  existence  to  this  proximity,  are 
at  the  end  of  a  winding  road  bordered  with  vines  and 
moss  and  fern  covered  rock,  flowering  shrubs,  trees 


142 


The  New  Jamaica. 


heavy  with  fruit  and  an  atmosphere  charged  with 
moisture  and  very  fragrant,  like  that  of  some  vast 
greenhouse  whose  temperature  and  humidity  had  been 
regulated  to  force  vegetable  growth'  to  the  utmost 
limit  of  its  possibilities. 

At  the  bath  we  find  a  building  in  charge  of  a  one 
armed  man,  who  introduces  visitors  to  the  stone  basins 
built  to  receive  the  hot  and  cold  water  that  flows  from 


the  hillside  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other.  There 
are  in  Jamaica,  as  noted  elsewhere,  several  baths  of  a 
medicinal  nature.  The  one  we  are  visiting  has  been 
chiefly  valued  for  its  unquestionable  influence  on  rheu- 
matic and  cutaneous  disorders. 

Much  has  been  written  of  these  springs  ;  nearly  all 
the  historians  of  the  island  have  had  something  to 
say  of  the  "  baths,"  as  they  are  commonly  called, 
though  only  those  at  Bath,  in  St.  Thomas,  and  Milk 


Bath  and  Manchioneal.  143 

River,  in  Clarendon  are  so  fitted  up  with  houses,  etc., 
as  to  deserve  that  name.  The  only  other  spring  that 
seems  to  call  for  special  consideration  is  that  known 
formerly  as  the  "  Jamaica  Spa,"  in  the  St.  Andrews' 
mountains,  near  Newcastle,  but  long  ago  abandoned 
and  left  to  go  to  decay. 

The  Bath  of  St.  Thomas  is  derived  from  a  sulphur- 
ous sodic  calcic  thermal  spring ;  that  at  the  Jamaica 
Spa  from  an  acidulous  ferro  aluminous  spring ;  and 
that  at  Milk  River  a  saline  calcic  thermal. 

Straying  further  up  the  stream  that  brawls  by  the 
station  we  were  suddenly  caught  in  a  most  terrific 
downpour  of  rain.  The  broad  leaves  of  the  wild  plan 
tain  or  the  shadowing  limb  of  a  bread  fruit  tree  made 
but  poor  shelter.  But  soon  the  sun  came  out  to  cheer 
us  and  the  great  greenhouse  of  nature  steamed  again, 
till  it  seemed  as  though  the  expanding  of  trunk  and 
leaf  occurred  visibly. 

Besides  at  Mrs.  Duffy's  well  kept  house  one  can  find 
lodging,  though  no  board,  at  the  bath  building. 

Bath  was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  great  atrocities  of 
the  insurrection  of  Governor  Eyre's  time.  Some  of 
the  people  of  the  village  still  have  tales  to  tell  of  the 
pillage  of  valuables,  of  sudden  flight  to  the  woods,  of 
hardship  and  of  suffering.  The  town  is  a  small  but 
very  pretty  place.  It  has  its  church  and  chapels, 
court-house  and  constabulary  station,  and  a  small 
population  who  are  most  contented  and  industrious 
blacks. 

From  Bath  one  can  go  by  a  bridle  road  up  to  the 
weird  and  wonderful  "  Cuna  cuna  "  pass  in  the  Blue 


144 


The  New  Jamaica. 


Mountains,  a  ride  of  rare  beauty  and  interest,  and  from 
thence  descend  through  the  region  of  the  Rio  Grande 
to  Port  Antonio,  past  the  Maroon  settlement  at  Moore 
Town  ;  or  he  can,  by  following  a  road  that  skirts  the 
Plantain  Garden  River,  reach  Island  Head  and 
from  there,  by  the  way  already  described,  to  Nanny 
Town. 

All    of    this  ridge,   and    the    country    north     and 


east  of  it,  is  of  great  interest  to  one  who  enjoys  a  lit- 
tle hardship  with  his  travel,  for  it  is  an  unsettled  and 
untravelled  country  for  the  most  part. 

We  must  not  neglect  to  speak  of  the  Scotch  gentle- 
man, engaged  in  coffee  planting,  whose  optimism 
threw  a  rosy  light  over  the  sable  toilers  of  the  land. 
He  says  that  the  labor  problem  here  is  only  a  ques- 
tion of  fair  wages.  In  his  opinion  the  black  man  is 


Bath  and  Manchioncal.  145 

not  lazy,  but  underpaid.  The  superintendent  of  that 
piece  of  road  we  have  admired  adds  that  he  can 
always  get  good  laborers  by  paying  living  prices.  "  Do 
not  fine  your  men.  When  they  don't  suit,  discharge 
them  ;  when  they  do,  pay  them." 

One  of  the  characters  of  Bath  is  a  soldierly  old  fel- 
low who  modestly  hides  a  Victoria  cross,  except  on 
pension  days.  He  stood  with  the  little  party  that 
Havelock  relieved  at  Lucknow,  in  India,  and  now  he 
bosses  a  gang  of  negroes  on  the  highway,  in  Jamaica. 

From  Bath  to  Manchioneal  the  way  is  more  level, 
passing  bottom  lands  that  are  frequently  overflowed, 
and  meadows  that  are  like  those  of  the  mother  country. 
At  Manchioneal  we  tarry  at  a  dingy  lodging, "  not  too 
bad  "  and  certainly  not  too  good,  within  sight  of  the 
sea.  To  the  right,  are  the  clean,  bright  looking  build- 
ings of  the  constabulary  station  and  the  church.  To  the 
left,  a  high  bluff  hides  the  road  along  which  we  are 
to  journey. 


IN  PORTLAND— PORT  ANTONIO. 


OF  Damascus  the  ancient  prophet  wrote,  "  It  shall 
be  a  ruinous  heap."  Did  any  one  prophesy  concerning 
the  great  estates  that  lie  along  the  road  from  Man- 
chioneal  to  Port  Antonio  ?  In  the  quaint,  terse  lan- 
guage of  the  courts,  they  are  "  in  ruinate." 

In  the  parish  of  Portland  in  the  county  of  Surrey, 
between  the  John  Crow  Mountains  and  the  sea,  lie 
many  abandoned  estates ;  buildings,  walls,  chimneys, 
aqueducts,  all  going  to  pieces,  and  the  oncoming  tide 
of  foliage,  like  a  green  wave,  engulfing  them.  There 
is  much  of  beauty  and  interest  in  this  eastern  end  of 
Portland.  The  road  winds  with  the  turning  of  the 
coast  line,  and  constantly  affords  surprises  and  scenes  of 
rich  beauty.  Deep  bays  and  inlets,  beaches  where  the 
transparent  water  breaks  in  a  long  surf,  headlands 
crowned  with  foliage,  all  afford  satisfaction  to  the  eye. 
Innis*  Bay,  is  a  deep  indentation  in  the  coast,  upon 
which  we  come  suddenly,  having  crossed  previously  a 
bit  of  uncultivated  land  shut  in  by  bushes  and  trees. 
We  look  down  from  above  on  the  expanse  of  emerald 
water  and  the  worn  rocks,  white  with  its  foam.  Trop- 
ical trees  frame  the  picture.  Here  are  the  Fairy  Hill 
Bay,  with  its  extensive  outlook  each  way  over  the 
ocean ;  Priestman's  River,  deep  at  the  mouth  as  it 


In  Portland — Port  Antonio.  147 

debouches  into  its  little  harbor;  and  the  exquisite 
"  Blue  Water,"  whose  turquoise  shades  into  amethyst 
in  the  shadows,  over  which  the  bending  trunks  and 
swaying  tops  of  a  hundred  cocoanut  trees  cast  their 
reflections.  All  through  this  region  are  scattered 
scenes  of  rare  beauty.  At  intervals,  we  arrive  at  pens 
where  cattle  are  grazed,  and  estates  that  are  converted 
into  pasturage  for  horse  kind.  Little  hamlets  here 
and  there,  scattered  along  the  road,  show  a  healthy- 
looking  but  meagre  population.  The  country,  like 
many  other  neighborhoods  in  Jamaica,  strikes  one  as 
being  under  populated — which  indeed  is  the  case. 

But  in  spite  of  its  beauty,  its  natural  fertility,  its 
advantageous  situation,  its  grazing  pens  and  villages, 
Eastern  Portland  gives  the  impression  of  desolation. 
Mile  after  mile  of  unused,  unredeemed  acres,  once 
flourishing  with  cane,  but  now  given  over  to  wild 
growths,  sadden  even  the  most  optimistic  observer. 
Here  has  been  dreadful  loss.  The  cause  of  this 
desertion  of  estates  has  been  already  noticed  in  the 
earlier  chapters  of  this  book. 

But  a  surprise  greater  than  any  of  those  that  have 
greeted  us  upon  the  road,  is  in  store.  There  comes  a 
point  where  the  decay  is  arrested,  and  a  new  life 
appears  to  animate  the  scene.  The  population  is 
larger  and  thriftier,  the  waste  acres  are  taken  up  and 
planted  with  fruit.  Everywhere  one  sees  increasing 
evidence  of  greater  prosperity.  Why  is  it  ?  We  have 
seen  how  king  cane  was  dethroned  :  now  we  are  pres- 
ent at  the  coronation  of  king  banana.  "  Lo  !  the  old 
order  changes,  giving  place  to  new.". 


148  The  New  Jamaica. 

We  drive  into  Port  Antonio  and  up  to  Mrs.  Brown's 
lodgings  ;  a  large,  well  and  cleanly  kept  white  house 
on  a  hill,  from  which  we  may  overlook  part  of  the 
town  and  see  one  of  the  harbors.  Port  Antonio  is 
blessed  with  two  harbors,  divided  by  the  rocks  of 
Navy  Island.  The  western  harbor  is  the  greater : 
here  large  steamers  can  lie  close  to  the  wharves. 

Properly  there  are  two  towns,  upper  and  lower 
Titchfield,  the  division  being  made  by  the  hill. 
Lower  Titchfield,  or  Port  Antonio,  lies  along  the 
beach  on  the  lower  land,  and  contains  the  governmen- 
tal and  mercantile  buildings.  The  hand-book  gives 
this  useful  piece  of  information  and  advice  to  mar- 
iners approaching  Port  Antonio.  %<  The  fort  and 
barracks  are  conspicuous  objects  from  the  offing. 
Navigators  strange  to  the  locality,  sometimes  find  it 
difficult  to  distinguish  the  entrance  to  the  harbor,  and 
if  a  vessel  should  approach  the  shore  to  the  eastward 
of  it,  the  remains  of  some  old  sugar  works  in  ruins 
might  be  taken  for  the  old  fort  at  Titchfield  and 
prove  misleading,  but  by  running  along  the  land  the 
place,  when  once  opened,  cannot  be  mistaken.  The 
new  light  house  on  Folly  Point  at  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor  is  a  great  aid  to  navigation/' 

In  the  year  '68,  which  has  already  been  spoken  of  as 
one  of  remarkable  promise  for  Jamaica,  the  initial  effort 
was  made  in  fruit  shipment,  which  has  resulted  so  ben- 
eficially, not  only  for  Port  Antonio,  but  the  whole 
island  of  Jamaica.  The  author  of  "  Picturesque  Ja- 
maica,1' refers  to  the  pioneer  banana  shipper  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms.  "  Above  fifteen  years  ago,  a  Yankee 


///  Portland — Port  Antonio.  149 

skipper  knocking  about  with  his  schooner,  had  occa- 
sion to  call  at  some  of  the  ports  on  the  easterly  part 
of  the  island.  His  keen  eye  looked  .with  interest  on 
the  bananas  that  were  so  plentifully  offered  him,  and 
knowing  the  taste  the  Americans  were  fast  acquiring 
for  this  delicious  fruit,  but  which  was  rarely  found  in 
the  American  markets,  set  himself  to  the  task  of  de- 
vising means  to  convey  the  fruit  in  a  sound  condition 
to  those  markets.  The  success  which  has  followed,  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  the  shipment  of  bananas  to 
America  has  become  one  of  the  leading  industries  of 
this  island."  The  Yankee  skipper  referred  to — now 
more  commonly  known  as  the  Banana  King — is  Capt. 
L.  D.  Baker,  whose  interests,  merged  in  those  of  the 
Boston  Fruit  Company,  are  to-day  among  the  largest 
in  the  land  for  which  his  enterprise  has  done  so  much. 

One  of  the  prominent  objects  seen  from  the  road  to 
the  eastward  is  the  Episcopal  church,  a  building  of 
some  beauty  and  uncertain  age — or  rather,  having  a 
record  of  moderate  age  duly  preserved,  has  gained  the 
popular  reputation  of  being  ancient.  Like  many  of 
the  "  very  old  "  buildings  now  standing  in  Jamaica,  its 
pretensions  dwindle  when  examined  carefully.  Quite 
a  young  man,  whom  we  questioned,  assured  us  that  it 
was  standing  there  when  Jie  was  a  boy.  Port  Antonio 
has  rather  a  fine  court-house  and  jail.  On  the  hill  are 
the  Titchfield  Trust  (school)  almshouse,  and  residences. 

There  is  in  the  town  quite  an  American  population  ; 
greater  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  place  than  that 
of  any  town  in  the  island.  The  business  at  Baker's  as 
well  as  in  some  other  places,  is  conducted  by  Amen- 


150  The  New  Jamaica. 

cans,  and  there  is  quite  a  New  England  air  about  the 
place.  To  appreciate  that,  however,  the  visitor  must 
first  have  seen  some  other  parts  of  the  island,  and 
have  become  accustomed  to  the  different  tone  which 
pervades  the  south  side.  Port  Antonio's  population  is 
about  two  thousand  souls. 

The  hurricane  of  1880  did  a  great  deal  to  damage 
the  fruit  interests  of  Portland,  but  it  soon  recovered 
and  redoubled  its  enterprise. 

There  is,  thrice  yearly,  a  fair  for  the  sale  of  stock  in 
Port  Antonio,  and  semi-weekly  markets  are  held  in  the 
substantial  building  provided  for  that  purpose.  The 
Wesleyans  and  Baptists  have  each  their  place  of  wor- 
ship in  the  town,  and  these  are  well  attended.  Many 
of  the  houses  are  substantial  and  picturesque  and  the 
climate  is  delightful.  Down  about  the  wharves, 
where  the  fruit  is  brought  in  mule  carts,  drays  and 
on  the  heads  of  the  native  black  people,  there  is  a 
considerable  activity.  Mr.  Moodie,  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Jamaica  Fruit  Company,  whose  office 
is  here,  assured  us  that  there  are  few  of  those  who 
may  be  seen  bringing  the  fruit  into  market  in  this 
way,  who  have  not  a  little  store  of  money  or  a  bit  of 
property, — provision  made  for  a  rainy  day. 

Says  a  writer  already  quoted,  writing  of  this  same 
port  :  "  If  the  people  of  Jamaica  choose  to  exert  them- 
selves to  supply  this  demand,  an  era  of  prosperity,  un- 
known in  its  history,  awaits  the  island  in  its  near 
future,  and  Jamaica  might  become  the  tropical  garden 
of  America."  Over  a  limited  area  this  prophecy  is 
being  fulfilled. 


Portland — Port  Antonio.  151 

Over  the  mountains  winding  down  the  road  lead- 
ing into  the  country  from  Port  Antonio,  drops  us 
into  the  rich  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande.  It  is  a  road 
"not  too  good,"  as  the  negroes  would  say,  yet  better 
than  most  mountain  roads  in  the  United  States.  It 
is  encumbered  with  some  rocks  and  inequalities,  and 
beautified  by  many  windings.  The  country  through 
which  it  passes  is  rich  and  fertile,  well  cultivated,  and 
abundantly  blessed  with  picturesque  views  and  color 
bits.  The  Rio  Grande,  rising  near  Bath,  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  sea,  flows  through  the  heart  of  the 
banana  country.  It  receives  tributaries  from  the  north 
side  of  the  Blue  Mountain  peak.  It  is  the  second 
river  in  size  in  Jamaica,  and  one  of  the  swiftest  of  those 
erratic  streams  that  flow  pleasantly  within  narrow  lim- 
its one  day,  and  the  next  sweep  down,  full  and  ter- 
rific torrents,  angry  and  swollen  by  the  rain-fed  streams 
from  the  surrounding  mountains.  At  one  point  on  this 
river,  a  place  where  men  with  great  bunches  of  ripe 
fruit,  donkeys  laden  with  well  filled  panniers,  and  even 
children  carrying  "  pick'nies  "  smaller  than  themselves, 
cross  and  recross  with  safety,  the  erosion  of  the  banks 
shows  that  not  infrequently  the  wide  stony  bed  must 
be  covered  with  a  flood  several  fathoms  deep,  where 
ships  might  ride  if  they  could  stand  against  so  power- 
ful a  current. 

All  about  Jamaica  the  waters  of  the  rivers  rise,  or, 
as  the  native  says  "  come  down,"  (i.  e.  from  the  moun- 
tains) very  suddenly,  and  often  travellers  have  been 
imprisoned  for  days  between  two  torrents,  on  a  -strip 
of  country  when  there  can  be  found  neither  town 


152  The  New  Jamaica. 

nor  lodging  house.  At  such  times  he  trusts 
to  the  ever  ready  hospitality  of  the  Jamaican 
Creole. 

Along  the  Rio  Grande  we  find  several  of  those  con- 
ditions which  are  commonly  counted  among  the 
advantages  of  Jamaica.  There  is  sweet,  pure  air,  and 
plenty  of  it ;  a  superabundance  of  clear  sky  ;  a  suffi- 
cient rainfall  ;  good  soil,  and  an  industrious  and  con- 
tented peasantry. 

Crossing  the  river  by  a  ford  from  which  a  most 
bewitching  view  of  mountains,  wooded  point  and  level 
mirroring  pools  may  be  enjoyed,  we  soon  enter  the 
property  known  as  "  Golden  Vale,"  once  a  great  sugar 
estate,  but  now  converted  to  banana  cultivation,  under 
the  enterprise  of  the  Boston  Fruit  Company.  This 
company  has  bought  and  leased  a  great  many  estates 
on  the  north  and  east  end  of  the  island,  and  its  pro- 
moter and  manager,  Captain  L.  D.  Baker,  is  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  the  island  has 
known,  through  his  wisdom  and  energy  in  introducing, 
fostering  and  conducting  the  immense  banana  trade 
of  Port  Antonio  which,  within  a  few  years  has  revolu- 
tionized the  trade,  prospects,  and  even  the  habits  of 
the  people  of  this  section. 

Golden  Vale  has  an  output  of  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  thousand  bunches  annually.  It  is  only  one  of 
nearly  a  dozen  estates  belonging  to  Captain  Baker's 
company,  yet  in  the  total  amount  of  fruit  shipped  by 
the  steamers  of  this  line  the  proportion  from  its  own 
cultivation  is  only  about  one-fifth.  That  is  to  say,  the 
people,  the  peasants  with  small  holdings  on  the  moun- 


Portland — Port  Antonio.  153 

tain  sides  and  along  the  roads,  are  doing  what  they 
have  neyer  before  had  a  chance  to  do  in  the  "  Land  of 
Streams,"  and  are  independently  working  out  their 
own  salvation. 

It  cost,  we  are  told,  about  two  pounds  per  acre  to 
clear  new  land,  and  there  is  little  in  the  market  at  any 
price,  so  that  most  of  the  holdings  are  leased.  Since 
the  introduction  of  the  banana  industry,  properties 
which  before  could  not  be  disposed  of  at  any  price, 
are  now  scarce  and  in  great  demand. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  just  here  to  describe  the 
growth  and  appearance  of  a  banana  plant,  for  the  ben- 
efit of  those  who  have  only  seen  the  delightful  fruit 
hanging  in  fruit  or  grocery  stores.  In  general  habit 
and  growth  the  banana  and  plantain  can  scarcely  be 
distinguished  from  each  other.  Both,  have  a  soft 
stalk,  from  four  to  eight  feet  in  height,  spreading  out 
at  the  top  in  a  cluster  of  great  broad  leaves,  often 
fifteen  inches  in  breadth  and  four  or  five  feet  in  length, 
bright  green,  and  translucent.  When  first  unfolded, 
the  leaves  suddenly  unroll,  sometimes  with  a  hissing 
report,  and  appear  with  unbroken  edges  and  unsullied 
surface,  across  which  the  shadows  of  other  leaves  fall, 
and  with  which  the  wind  toys.  But  in  a  very  little 
while  this  play  of  the  wind  has  split  the  great  surface 
into  a  hundred  transverse  streamers,  all  attached  to 
the  central  vein.  Each  plant  bears  one  bunch  of  fruit 
which  hangs  with  the  "hands,^  or  separate  sections, 
curving  upwards,  the  reverse  of  the  fruit  store  method  ; 
and  from  the  end  of  the  bunch,  on  a  short  green  stem, 
is  the  blossom,  a  great  heart-shaped,  maroon  colored 


154  The  New  Jamaica. 

plummet,  about  the  size  of  a  man's  fist,  or  larger. 
The  plant  bears  only  one  bunch  of  fruit. 

In  planting  bananas  they  are  placed  fifteen  feet 
apart,  and  when  a  plant  has  finished  its  mission  it  is 
replaced  by  a  sucker. 

At  Golden  Vale  the  whole  landscape  is  one  of  rich, 
perfect  cultivation  :  the  fields  of  cane  grown  as 
fodder  for  the  numerous  cattle  used  upon  the  planta- 


tion ;  the  herds  of  oxen  and  droves  of  mules.  Beyond 
the  cane  field  are  acres,  hundreds  of  them,  emerald 
with  the  ranks  of  bananas.  Not  far  from  the  boun- 
dary of  the  old  estate  are  the  great  stone  buildings 
formerly  used  in  the  crushing  of  cane,  the  manufactur- 
ing of  sugar  and  rum,  storage  and  the  preparation  of 
indigo.  These  are  now  converted  into  shops,  depots 
and  school-houses.  Most  of  the  children  in  the  neigh- 


Portland — Port  Antonio.  155 

borhood  of  Golden  Vale  attend  this  free  school,  which 
is  kept  up  by  the  bounty  of  the  owners  of  the  planta- 
tion, and  it  is  a  very  pleasant  sound  to  hear  the  hum 
of  recitation,  or  the  melody  of  song,  from  the  grim  old 
walls,  where  sounds  of  a  very  different  nature  once 
were  heard. 

Upon  the  ruins  of  very  extensive  buildings  near  the 
top  of  a  little  hill  stand  the  houses  where  the  Busher 
(overseer)  lives  and  directs.  Near  by,  across  a  small 
valley,  is  a  settlement  or  barracks,  where  the  coolie 
laborers,  of  whom  there  are  a  hundred  or  more  on  the 
plantation,  live  in  their  unobtrusive  way. 

Some  national  or  religious  holiday  was  being 
observed  when  we  were  there,  and  several  of  the  men 
were  engaged  in  decorating  a  little  building  like  a 
doll's  toy  house  with  bits  of  tinsel  and  colored  paper. 
This  was  to  be  used  in  some  ceremonial.  They  were 
very  polite  in  showing  us  this  wonder,  but  we  were 
warned  not  to  touch  it  or  to  show  anything  but 
respect. 

We  inquired  respecting  the  prices  paid  for  labor  on 
a  banana  plantation,  and  found  that  a  reaper  might 
earn  with  industry  seven  shillings  a  day,  while  the 
trimmers  and  other  laborers  range  from  one  shilling 
and  sixpence  to  two  and  sixpence  a  day,  the  lowest 
price  being  paid  to  the  women. 

Standing  on  the  piazza  of  "  Busher  "  Davis's  house, 
and  admiring  the  perfect  view,  we  were  soon  informed 
that  horses  were  ready  for.  us.  We  mounted,  and  fol- 
lowing our  leader,  crossed  the  little  stream  that  crosses 
the  valley  just  beyond  the  buildings,  and  struck  into  a 


156  T/ie  New  Jamaica. 

trail  which  led  us  into  the  hills.  Higher  and  higher 
we  mounted,  finding  at  every  turn  more  extensive 
views  and  a  more  exhilarating  air.  New  fields,  fresh 
cultivations,  unimagined  richness  disclosed  themselves 
to  our  eyes,  as  we  wound  in  single  file  around  the 
shoulders  of  the  hills.  Palm  trees  interspersed  with 
the  bananas.  Bamboos  hedged  the  emerald  fields 
with  their  plumes.  On  the  distant  hill  that  lay 
between  us  and  the  slope  on  which  is  Port  Antonio, 
there  was  pointed  out  to  us  a  cut  in  the  trees  where 
the  surveyor's  line  had  been  run  in  planning  the  pro- 
jected cable  line  by  which,  in  future,  bananas  are  to 
be  transported  to  the  shipping  place. 

Finally  we  got  on  a  sort  of  hog  back  ridge,  where 
the  soil  was  a  deep  red  clay,  and  the  out-cropping 
white  limestone  contrasted  brilliantly  with  the  earth 
and  the  plentiful  foliage.  At  places  where  the  ridge 
narrowed  we  could  look  down  into  a  valley  on  either 
side,  in  one  of  which  flowed  the  Rio  Grande  and  in 
the  other  the  Back  water.  We  stopped  to  steal  (?) 
mangoes  from  the  never  failing  trees,  to  inspect  the 
hillside  garden,  placed  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees, 
where  some  peasant  has  raised  coffee,  pimento,  yams, 
potatoes,  Seville  oranges,  plantains,  guava  and  a 
dozen  other  things.  We  must  accept  a  "  rose  "  (really 
Indian  Jessamine)  from  a  pretty  peasant  girl,  and 
look  at  the  boars'  teeth  which  a  lad  in  one  cabin 
showed  us,  pointing  with  pride  to  his  hound,  by 
whose  aid  the  wild  boars  were  killed — "  Over  dere  in 
de  John  Crow  hills  w'ere  me  daddy  hunt  'em  fer  two 
day,  sah." 


Portland— Port  Antonio.  157 

Still  upward  the  path  goes.  It  is  a  precipitous  trail. 
Inquiring  how  it  came  to  be  made,  we  learn  the  inter- 
esting fact  that  it  was  trodden  first  by  mules,  bearing 
copper  ore  from  a  mine  several  miles  beyond  the 
summit.  The  Golden  Vale  mine  was  in  operation 
thirty  years  ago,  and  some  good  copper  was  got  out  ; 
but  the  distance  from  the  market,  and,  it  is  said,  a 
quarrel  among  the  members  of  the  company  resulted 
in  its  abandonment. 

It  will  not  be  wise  to  close  this  chapter  without 
more  definite  reference  to  the  work  and  influence  of 
the  Boston  Fruit  Company,  whose  efforts  at  building 
up  the  fruit  trade,  in  conjunction  with  the  Atlas  Com- 
pany and  the  Wessels  Line,  have  made  such  an  impor- 
tant difference  in  the  condition  of  trade  upon  the 
north  side  of  Jamaica.  We  make  this  mention  here 
rather  than  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  travel  and  com- 
munication, because  the  interest  in  the  company  cen- 
tres here  in  Port  Antonio. 

The  properties  of  this  company  afe  in  many  cases 
tenanted  by  the  negro  peasantry,  whose  industry  is 
stimulated,  as  we  have  already  pointed  out,  by  the 
fact  that  they  are  actually  laying  up  money.  The  es- 
tablishment of  many  such  schools  as  the  one  at  Golden 
Vale,  where  the  children  of  these  peasants  may  be 
taught  free,  is  one  of  the  methods  by  which  the  com- 
pany is  seeking  to  improve  the  condition  of  its  ten- 
ants. The  tenantry  aggregate  about  twelve  hundred 
souls.  This,  of  course,  includes  all  in  different  parts  of 
Jamaica,  not  alone  those  near  Port  Antonio. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  properties  of  the   Boston 


158  The  New  Jamaica. 

Fruit  Company  :  Bowden,  which  we  have  already  vis- 
ited at  Port  Morant,  and  which  is  not  only  important 
as  a  shipping  port,  but  is  also  a  fit  place  for  a  sani- 
tarium ;  its  acreage  is  about  four  hundred.  Philips- 
field,  Williamsfield,  Unity  Vale  and  Elysium  have 
each  iioo  acres.  Seamans  Valley  has  1000  acres. 
Hermitage,  whose  output  of  nuts  we  have  especially 
mentioned,  contains  560  acres.  Wyant,  Upper  Lay- 
ton  and  Red  Hassel  are  the  smallest  of  the  principal 
properties,  comprising  only  about  two  hundred  acres 
each.  Size  is  only  comparative  after  all.  The  man 
who  has  200  acres  of  good  land  in  New  England  is  a 
large  land  owner.  Wentworth,  Lookout,  Fellowship, 
Prospect,  Hermitage,  Windsor,  Paradise,  Wheelerfield 
and  Plantain  Garden  estate  are  properties  that  range 
from  450  to  900  acres  each.  Fairy  Hill  and  Bound 
Brook  each  contain  1800,  and  Golden  Vale  rises  to 
3500  acres,  with  all  its  dependencies.  It  is  a  noble 
aggregate. 

From  the  Hon.  W.  Bancroft  Espent,  the  company 
has  leased  Spring  Garden  estate  and  four  others.  By- 
ram  is  a  beautiful  piece  of  fruit  land.  There  is  here  a 
railway  for  tram  cars,  the  only  railway  privilege  on  the 
island  except  that  of  the  Jamaica  Railway  Company. 
This  extends  three  miles. 

The  shipping  places  of  the  Boston  Fruit  Company 
are  at  St.  Ann's  Bay,  Ocho  Rios,  Oracabessa,  Port 
Maria,  Annotto  Bay,  Buff  Bay,  Orange  Bay,  Hope  Bay, 
St.  Margaret's  Bay,  Port  Antonio,  Blue  Hole,  Man- 
chioneal,  Port  Morant,  Morant  Bay  and  Yallahs  Bay. 
At  each  of  these  places  the  company  own  properties. 


Portland — Port  Antonio.  159 

The  Boston  Fruit  Company  run  six  steamers  be- 
tween Boston  and  Jamaican  ports.  They  are  dis- 
patched semi-weekly.  Their  principal  use  is  the 
carrying  of  fruit,  but  they  have  also  each  passenger 
accommodation  for  twelve  people,  the  rate  of  fare 
being  $50  for  round  trip,  or  $30  either  way.  As 
stated,  these  vessels  make  stops  at  all  island  ports. 


THE  DISTRICT  OF  ST.  GEORGE. 


WE  learned  from  Mr.  Moodie,  the  representative 
of  the  Jamaica  Fruit  Company  and  one  of  the  earliest 
handlers  of  bananas  on  the  north  side,  that  the  fruit 
land  in  the  neighborhood  of  Port  Antonio  is  being 
eagerly  watched  for  and  bought  up.  Buying  large 
quantities  of  fruit  for  shipment  to  "the  States,"  he 
says  that  the  supply  is  increasing  rapidly  with  the 
growing  demand.  "And,"  added  he,  "don't  think 
these  people  are  poor  because  they  are  poorly  clothed. 
Go  to  their  churches,  or,  better  still,  attend  one  of  their 
weddings.  You  will  find  the  men  in  broadcloth,  and 
the  women  in  silks.  Few  of  them  are  without  little 
bank  accounts.  They  will  improve  with  their  for- 
tunes. The  man  who  works  with  a  machete,  in  rags 
and  tatters,  rides  a  good  horse  and  carries  his  silk  um- 
brella on  a  holiday.  The  same  class  of  people  cannot 
do  that  outside  .of  the  fruit  districts,  and  these  facts 
answer  the  question  whether  they  make  more  than  a 
bare  living  here.  Good  clothes,  better  houses,  savings 
bank  accounts,  all  mean  that  there  is  enough  and  a 
little  to  spare." 

Which  argument  seems  to  us  forcible.  But  let  no 
reader  of  this  rush  to  the  other  extreme  of  imagining 
that  the  negro  has  attained  perfection  because,  he  is 


The  District  of  St.  George.  161 

partially  emerging  from  his  former  brutish  condition. 
He  is  still  full  of  faults,  given  to  all  manner  of  unrea- 
sonableness, and  prone  to  leave  you  in  the  lurch  if  you 
are  obliged  to  depend  upon  him.  He  has  still  very 
hazy  notions  on  many  moral  and  social  questions.  He 
will  sometimes  provoke  you  into  wondering  why  any 
sane  person  should  have  deprived  his  mother  country 
of  him.  Then  you  notice  that  he  begins  to  be  self- 
respectful,  ambitious  for  his  children,  more  conform- 
able to  law,  cleaner  in  his  house  and  living.  To  the 
question  :  Whence  is  this  improvement  ?  the  answer  is 
ready.  It  is  threefold :  A  better  government,  freer 
education,  and  living  prices  for  work. 

The  Maroons,  who  long  ago  wrested  a  sort  of  liberty 
from  the  government,  and  who  have  lived  for  a  great 
many  years  unmolested  in  the  hills,  enjoying  certain 
privileges  and  immunities,  come  down  also  to  trade.. 
It  is  too  early  yet  to  predicate  any  sudden  or  immedi- 
ate change  in  their  condition,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
with  growing  intelligence  and  prosperity,  these  people 
will  become  gradually  merged  in  the  common  popula- 
tion. Nothing  is  so  certain  to  break  away  barriers 
than  an  advantage  on  one  side  of  the  fence  or  another. 

Mooretown  is  now  the  nearest  Maroon  town.  To 
reach  it  one  must  follow  the  same  road  that  goes  to 
Golden  Vale,  which  is  about  half  way  out  to  the  vil- 
lage. In  the  village  live  many  of  the  principal 
Maroons.  Further  up  the  road  the  wild  and  beautiful 
Cuna  Cuna  pass  is  reached.  Only  on  horseback  can 
one  advance  as  far  as  the  pass.  Having  crossed  it  and 
enjoyed  its  coolness  (and  perhaps  a  sudden  shower  as 


1 62  The  New  Jamaica? 

* 

well),  the  traveller  descends  by  the  bridle  road  that 
we  have  already  used  to  Bath. 

The  western  coast  of  Cornwall,  beyond  Port 
Antonio,  is  as  fruitful  as  the  eastern  is  desolate.  At 
some  points  the  road  is  lost  in  a  forest  of  cocoanut 
trees. 

The  largest  cocoanut  grove  on  the  island  is  that  of 
Wentworth,  the  weekly  output  of  which  is  over  20,000 
nuts.  The  Hermitage,  at  which  we  halted  a  few 
miles  west  of  Port  Antonio,  is  about  one  fifth  smaller, 
being  the  second  grove  in  size  and  productiveness  in 
Jamaica.  This  is  also  one  of  those  properties  of  the 
Boston  Fruit  Company  whose  immediate  details  are 
usually  managed  by  intelligent,  active  young  men  of 
New  England  blood.  In  this  case  it  was  one  of  Cap- 
tain Baker's  sons  who  did  the  honors  of  the  place, 
showing  us  the  (to  us)  wonders  of  cocoanut  growing 
and  the  natural  beauties  of  the  neighborhood.  We 
drove  out  to  a  very  pretty  and  airy  little  iron  bridge, 
whose  light  arc  crosses  the  Swift  River  in  a  single 
span.  Then  back  to  the  ford,  where  we  parted  reluc- 
tantly from  our  young  guide. 

Perhaps  (if  the  old  resident  will  be  patient  with  us 
for  a  few  moments)  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to 
those  who  have  only  seen  the  cocoanut  in  market  to 
know  that  if  they  were  to  see  the  fruit  growing  they 
would  not  recognize  it,  probably.  Indeed,  it  would 
take  sharp  eyes  to  look  through  an  inch  or  two  of 
enveloping  shell  and  find  the  familiar  nut  hidden 
beneath.  Picking  cocoauuts  should  never,  so  say 
the  experts,  be  allowed.  A  tree  here  takes  seven  or 


The  District  of  St.  George.  163 

eight  years  to  mature ;  but  when  it  is  of  age  it  pro- 
duces clusters  of  nuts  that  are  all  clinging  with  their 
little  separate  stems  to  a  common  stalk.  A  tree  may 
have  a  great  many  clusters  growing  at  one  time,  from 
the  very  small  ones  to  those  that  are  ready  to  fall. 
For  some  reason  not  yet  known  to  science,  the  bearing 
capacity  of  a  tree  is  injured  by  the  picking  of  its  fruit; 
so  that  only  the  fallen  are  gathered.  Then  the  work 
of  husking  must  be  done  before  the  nuts  can  be 
shipped.  This  is  done  with  a  machete  ;  the  heavy, 
fibrous,  yellow  outer  husk  with  its  pointed  ends  and 
three  dull  angles  is  cut  away,  and  the  cocoanut,  greatly 
reduced  in  size,  is  marketable.  It  contains  at  this 
stage  a  quantity  of  the  pleasant  fluid  known  as  cocoa- 
nut  water,  and  the  firm  meat  is  much  softer  and  more 
delicate  than  is  usually  the  case  with  the  older  nuts 
that  have  got  to  the  Northern  markets.  To  get 
"  jelly  "  nuts,  whose  contents  can  be  eaten  with  a 
spoon,  they  must  be  picked  from  the  tree  before  they 
are  quite  ready  to  drop. 

While  we  are  driving  through  this  pleasant  country, 
it  may  not  be  out  of  order  to  speak  of  another  matter 
quite  germane  to  the  purpose  of  this  book,  and  con- 
sider what  the  chance  is  for  enterprising  young  men. 
.The  anonymous  author  in  Blackwood's,  already  quoted, 
and  generally  sensible  in  what  he  has  said  on  this  sub- 
ject, makes  a  statement  and  a  suggestion  which  does 
not,  it  seems  to  us,  accord  with  wisdom. 

"  There  is  every  ground  for  reasonable  belief  that 
Jamaica  now  offers  a  remarkably  favorable  opening  to 
the  numerous  class  of  young  men,  in  England,  who 


164  The  New  Jamaica. 

are  unable  to  pass  the  examinations  which  are  neces- 
sary for  entrance  to  the  army  and  civil  service,  not  to 
speak  of  the  more  learned  professions.  Young  men  of 
this  class  have  lately  been  shipped  off  to  Australia, 
Africa,  and  America  to  seek  their  fortune,  sheep-farm- 
ing, gold-digging,  and  ranching  ;  and  we  leave  it  to 
those  who  are  interested  in  them  to  say  whether  they 
have,  as  a  rule,  gained  fortunes,  or  made  more  than  a 
livelihood,  meagre  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  rough 
life  which  they  have  led,  and  the  toil  which  they  have 
encountered." 

That  is  what  Jamaica  does  not  want.  England  has 
often  shipped  black  sheep,  and  lame  sheep  out  here, 
but  they  have  not  been  the  successes  to  which  their 
countrymen  usually  point  with  pride.  The  only  kind 
of  a  man  who  can  expect  to  live  in  Jamaica  is  the  man 
of  clean  habits.  There  is  no  climate  that  will  kill  off 
rakes  and  rounders  faster  than  a  tropical  one  will. 
The  only  one  who  can  succeed  here  is  he  who  exercises 
the  same  faculties  that  lead  to  success  elsewhere. 
Only  clear-headedness,  pluck  and  habits  of  work  will 
go  further  here  than  in  most  countries,  as  the  land  is 
not  yet  overstocked.  There  is  a  call  for  capital;  there 
is  a  field  for  energy;  there  are  opportunities  in  the  new 
state  of  things  that  will  make  the  intelligent  invest- 
ment of  either  one  profitable. 

Richard  puts  a  period  to  these  reflections  by  pulling 
up. 

"  Dis  here  is  Lowlayton,  gentlemen,  what  you 
wanted  to  fine." 

Lowayton,  we  have  been  told,  is  the  place  where 


The  District  of  St.  George. 


'65 


the  traces  of  an  extinct  volcanic  crater  are  to  be  found. 
The  information  was  correctly  and  judiciously  worded  : 
traces  of  an  extinct  crater,  certainly,  inasmuch  as 
that  which  has  evidently  been  thrown  up  by  a  volcano 
is  good  evidence  that  the  volcano  has  at  some  time 
existed.  We  have  also  every  reason  to  be  satisfied 
that  this  volcano  has  been  very  extinct  for  some  time. 
However,  as  this  is  the  "  only  volcanic  formation  " 
noted  on  the  island,  we 
must  e'en  make  the 
most  of  it. 

Near  the  Spanish 
River  we  halt  and  so- 
journ as  guests  at  a 
house  on  the  hill-side, 
the  courtesy  and  hos- 
pitality of  whose  in- 
mates would  launch  us 
into  description  and 
acknowledgment,  did 
they  not  more  strongly 
compel  us  to  silence. 

In  this  neighborhood 
is  much  to  excite  inter- 
est. The  sugar  producing  will  here  soon  give  place  to 
fruit  growing.  The  hills  produce  logwood,  and  coffee 
is  raised  in  the  vicinity,  we  understand.  Nuts  too  are 
quite  plentiful.  The  hills  are  full  of  delightful  nooks, 
and  woods,  and  watercourses,  for  the  lover  of  nature. 
On  one  occasion  we  rode  along  a  bridle  path  to  its 
end,  and  then,  following  a  sturdy  negro,  who  went 


1 66  The  New  Jamaica. 

slashing  with  his  machete  through  the  brush,  we  came 
suddenly  upon  one  of  the  most  perfect  little  streams 
that  ever  an  artist  imagined.  Its  beginning  (for  us), 
was  a  cascade  of  some  sixty  feet  in  height,  that  shot 
like  an  arrow  from  the  fern-covered  rock  crest  to  a 
circular,  clear  pool,  whose  further  margin  had  burrowed 
away  and  hidden  under  the  base  of  the  rocks,  and 
around  which  all  manner  of  trees  and  wild  plants  grew. 
The  cotton  trees  reached  out  their  great  buttresses 
towards  it,  balancing  the  heavy  spread  of  foliage  over- 
head. The  wild  tamarind  and  the  locust,  or,  if  not 
these,  some  other  equally  native  and  beautiful  trees, 
stretched  out  their  arms  and  dropped  long  branches 
of  vine,  like  plummets,  down  to  the  water. 

From  here  the  brook  goes,  like  any  brook  in  any 
other  land,  doing  all  the  usual  erratic  and  charming 
things  that  any  other  brook  does,  till  it  goes  to  join 
some  larger  stream.  There  are  moments  of  dignity: 
pools  placid  and  calm,  but  just  over  the  edge  of  them 
the  frolic  and  rush  begin  again.  If  among  our  readers 
there  is  a  poet  who  cares  for  a  suggestion, — ? 

Over  the  Spanish  River  a  new  bridge  was  in  process 
of  construction.  The  honest  work  being  bestowed 
upon  it,  and  its  solid  character,  are  in  keeping  with 
most  of  the  work  of  this  class  done  in  the  island. 


FROM  BUFF  BAY  TO  THE  ROARING 
RIVER. 


CROSSING  several  little  streams  and  an  occasional 
hut  or  hamlet  by  the  wayside ;  enjoying  the  glimpses 
of  the  mountains  in  the  distance,  or  the  verdure  of  the 
hills  near  at  hand  ;  pausing  at  the  fords  to  water  the 
horses,  and  to  exchange  badinage  of  an  elemental 
character  with  the  half  aquatic  women,  we  at  length 
arrive  at  Annotto  Bay,  where  it  is  proposed  to  satisfy 
a  growing  inward  yearning  after  the  flesh  pots. 

Having  ordered  luncheon  at  the  principal  lodging- 
house  in  the  town,  a  little  dingy  looking  place  nearly 
opposite  the  market  and  bank,  we  strolled  back  to 
inspect  the  bridge  being  built  over  the  Annotto  River. 
A  constant  stream  of  people  were  passing  over  the  lit- 
tle foot  bridge  below  the  ford.  Among  these  were 
many  coolies,  more  than  one  usually  sees  even  upon  a 
market  day.  White  turbans,  close  fitting  skull  caps, 
loose  upper  garments  and  bare  legs,  faces  like  those  of 
Europeans,  intellectual  and  dignified,  bearded  and 
venerable,  thin,  wiry  bodies  and  erect  carriage  ;  so  the 
crowd  of  coolie  men  go  by,  returning  our  salutations 
with  grave  courtesy.  A  military  salute,  with  the  fore- 
finger touching  the  forehead  and  the  palm  turning 
outward  with  the  completed  gesture,  and  the  one 


1 68 


The  New  Jamaica. 


From  Buff  Bay  to  the  Roaring  River.  169 

word  "  Salaam,"  seriously  spoken.  The  women,  of 
whom  we  have  seen  many  elsewhere,  are  also  present 
in  force,  and  so  are  the  negroes  of  all  grades. 

Up  and  down  the  river,  from  the  framework  of  the 
new  bridge,  we  saw  the  bending  plumes  of  the  bam- 
boos and  the  green  of  cultivated  fields  backed  by  the 
hills.  It  would  not  have  been  difficult  to  imagine 
ourselves  in  a  suburb  of  Benares.  The  sunshine  be- 
came broiling  hot.  We  stopped  to  watch  some  men 
trading  and  selling  horses,  and  then  started  on  a  tour 
of  inspection  of  the  shops :  it  being  Saturday,  they 
were  thronged  with  people  buying  what  the  crowded 
market  could  not  furnish  them.  A  dry  goods  store, 
so  full  that  one  could  hardly  turn  around  in  it,  was  an 
epitome  of  Macy's  or  Wanamaker's.  In  a  drug  store 
there  was  a  man  dealing  out  spirits  in  the  rear  and 
another  in  front  selling  cheese. 

The  market  place  was  filled  with  the  people,  buying, 
selling,  chaffering  and  making  a  medley  of  sound 
that  did  not  present  one  intelligible  word  to  the 
stranger.  Squatting  on  the  ground,  seated  on 
benches,  standing  in  corners  or  along  the  fences, 
what  a  motley  multitude  they  were.  The  wares  ex- 
posed for  sale  were  tempting  (until  we  had  lunched). 
There  were  bread-fruit  and  nuts,  yams  and  potatoes, 
— sweet  potatoes,  of  course, — plantains,  ginger  cakes, 
cassava  wafers,  crabs,  eggs  and  poultry,  turtle  (think 
of  them  baked  and  served  in  the  shell),  confections, 
made  of  cocoanut  and  brown  sugar,  and  all  the  various 
things  that  can  be  grown  or'  prepared  or  cooked  to 
tempt  the  Creole  appetite. 


170  The  New  Jamaica. 

But  we  were  allowed  to  satisfy  ours  with  more 
familiar  viands.  Ham  and  eggs  followed  a  soup  over 
which  prudence  prompted  to  say  grace  without  inquis- 
itiveness  ;  boiled  yam  was  vis-a-vis  to  fried  plantain  ; 
and  the  maiden  who  served  the  table  was  brown  and 
inclined  to  be  coquettish. 

We  had  several  places  in  the  town  to  visit  and  so 
did  not  linger. 

The  town  of  Annotto  Bay  is  the  second  in  size  and 
importance  in  St.  Mary.  It  lies  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Wag  Water:  the  Agua  Alta—\\\z  Loud  River. 
A  shipping  port,  it  has,  in  the  past,  done  considerable 
business,  but  has  latterly  fallen  somewhat  from  its  mer- 
cantile estate.  One  great  drawback  to  the  town  is  the 
proximity  of  marshes  which  breed  fevers  and  malaria 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  It  possesses  some 
good  buildings :  the  court-house  and  savings  bank, 
hospital,  church,  and  Baptist  and  Wesleyan  chapels. 
The  new  junction  road,  which  we  have  followed  from 
Kingston  as  far  as  Castleton  Gardens,  meets  the  coast 
road  at  this  point.  Near  here  are  the  Port  Maria 
water  works.  Were  it  not  for  the  overflow  of  the  sev- 
eral streams  into  which  the  Wag  is  here  divided,  and 
the  consequent  ill  health  which  strangers  are  apt  to 
endure  in  the  wet  season,  there  is  no  reason  why 
Annotto  Bay  should  not  be  one  of  the  chief  ports  in 
Jamaica.  And  the  obstacle  is  by  no  means  an  insu- 
perable one. 

From  Annotto  Bay  the  road  makes  a  wide  sweep, 
leaving  the  coast,  which  here  lies  northwest  and  run- 
ning nearly  west  to  a  place  called  the  Cross,  where  is 


From  Buff  Bay  to  the  Roaring  River.  171 

the  junction  with  another  highway  which  leads  to  the 
southward,  crosses  the  Flint  River,  follows  the  course 
of  the  Rio  d'Oro  and  meets  the  Spanish  Town  and  St. 
Ann's  Bay  road  at  a  point  midway  between  Bag  walk 
and  Linstead.  For  a  pleasant  three  days  jaunt  one 
could  leave  Kingston  by  the  Annotto  Bay  road,  enjoy 
Stony  Hill,  the  Wag  Water  and  Castleton  as  we  have 
described,  and  then,  instead  of  returning  by  the  same 
way,  keep  on  to  the  north  coast,  taking  the  western 
road  from  the  mouth  of  the  Wag  Water  and  returning 
by  way  of  Bog  walk  and  Spanish  Town.  The  entire 
trip  is  not  more  than  sixty-five  miles,  and  there  are 
few  outings  that  promise  more  of  beauty  and  interest 
than  this  run  around  the  block.  Over  a  large  part  of 
this  route  the  railway  branch  will  run  when  completed, 
and  the  fact  that  the  trains  will  first  reach  the  coast  at 
Annotto  Bay  and  afterwards  connect  that  point  with 
Port  Antonio,  means  that  the  history  ot  the  little 
town  is  still  ahead  and  not  behind  it, — a  rare  good 
'thing  for  a  town,  as  it  is  for  a  man. 

Turning  northward  from  the  Cross,  and  passing  the 
mail  coach  on  its  way  from  Port  Maria  to  Ewarton, 
we  arrive,  near  nightfall,  at  the  former  town,  drive 
through  a  long  squalid  looking  street,  which  hardly 
seems  to  be  attractive  enough  for  the  chief  town  in  the 
parish,  and  pull  up  with  a  flourish  (it  is  a  little  way 
that  Richard  has)  at  the  door  of  a  dingy  and  repulsive 
looking  inn  opposite  the  public  hospital.  We  hesi- 
tated about  alighting,  till  assured  that  there  was  no 
other  lodging-house  open  to  the  public  in  Port 
Maria. 


172  The  New  Jamaica. 

We  had  plenty  of  time  to  study  the  hospital,  with 
its  corrugated  iron  roof  and  latticed  sides.  It  looked 
clean  and  cool,  and  that  is  a  distinction  in  Port  Maria. 
It  was  Saturday  night.  The  streets  were  full  of 
the  marketing  people  ;  occasional  drunken  sailors  stag- 
gered into  the  scene  and  out  again,  like  supernumer- 
aries that  had  been  displaced  ;  the  altercation  over  a 
game  of  something  that  was  going  on  in  the  busy 
lower  room  of  the  inn,  waxed  louder.  There  was  an 
agent  for  something  or  other  who  had  got  the  best 
room  the  hostelry  afforded,  so  we  had  to  take  second 
and  third  best.  Our  supper  was  served  in  a  dirty 
back  room,  and  it  took  both  hunger  and  courage  to 
attack  it.  We  soon  got  out  to  inspect  the  town. 

"  Puerto  Sancta  Maria,"  is  not  living  up  to  its  name. 
It  has  a  good  harbor,  wharves  and  stores.  It  contains 
a  church,  kirk  and  two  chapels  ;  it  is  blessed  with  an 
almshouse  and  a  fine  prison.  But  it,  unfortunately, 
has  also  that  inn. 

Crossing  a  bridge  over  the  river  which  divides  the 
town,  we  came  suddenly  on  a  group  of  buildings 
that  decidedly  astonished  us.  There  was  the  church 
already  alluded  to,  a  solid,  substantial  stone  edifice, 
with  a  clock  tower.  Standing  near  it  is  a  fine  large 
market  building,  with  open  sides  and  corrugated  iron 
roof.  Opposite  to  these  is  a  group  comprising  the 
court-house,  constabulary  depot  and  offices.  These 
are  structures  that  a  much  more  thriving  and  interest- 
ing town  than  Port  Maria  might  be  proud  of.  They 
were  built,  we  were  told,  at  a  day  when  the  place  had 
more  to  recommend  it  to  the  visitor.  Interviewing  a 


From  Buff  Bay  to  the  Roaring  River.  1 73 

sergeant  of  the  constabulary  force  as  to  the  behavior 
of  the  population  (and  as  we  asked  we  could  hear  the 
sounds  of  a  street  row  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  inn), 
we  were  told  that  the  arrests  made  were  very  few. 

"  Then  you  don't  arrest  people  for  intoxication, — 
getting  drunk  and  being  disorderly  ?  " 

"  No,  sah,  of  co'se  we  neber  arres'  a  ma'an  for  a 
ting  like  dat."  He  spoke  in  a  grieved  tone,  as  though 
we  had  insulted  the  force. 

The  loud  talking,  liberal  profanity  and  occasional 
expostulation  on  the  part  of  the  proprietor  of  the  inn, 
did  not  lull  us  to  sleep  that  night.  We  saw  the  agent 
for  something  or  other  drown  his  sorrow  at  having 
to  stay  in  such  a  place,  after  which  he  attempted, 
from  the  window,  to  put  a  policeman,  down  in  the 
moonlight,  through  the  manual  of  arms.  The  cracks 
in  the  floor  were  sufficiently  wide  to  allow  us  to  see 
who  was  getting  the  best  of  the  row  below  and  it  was 
long  before  we  trusted  ourselves  to  the  joys  of  not 
too  clean  pillows  and  the  companionship  of  numerous 
bed-fellows  who  were  not  paying  ten  shillings  a  night 
for  the  accommodation. 

We  left  Port  Maria  on  Sunday  morning. 

On  the  road  we  asked  Richard  how  he  had  slept, 
and  where. 

"  Me  ?  I  sleep  fus'  rate,  sah.  I  sleep  in  de 
buggy." 

We  pass  the  town  of  Ora  Cabessa,  with  its  many 
acres  of  nuts  and  fruit.  There  are  steamers  in  the 
little  harbor  and  sailing  craft  along  shore.  It  is  a 
rising  place,  and  situated  in  a  healthful  part  of  the 


174  The  New  Jamaica. 

coast.  Ora  Cabessa  River  flows  near  it  and  debouches 
into  a  pleasant  bay.  Larger  and  more  important  is  the 
stream  of  the  Rio  Nuevo,  emptying  into  the  Rio 
Nuevo  Bay,  where  is  situated  a  town  of  the  same  name. 
Here  once  was  an  old  fort,  built  by  the  last  of  the 
Spanish  governors  in  his  futile  attempt  to  reconquer 
the  island  from  the  English. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  White  River.  It  is  the 
dividing  line  between  the  parishes  of  St.  Mary  and  St. 
Ann.  Before  crossing  it  we  take  a  backward  look 
over  the  district  we  have  left,  and  consider  its  chances 
in  the  trade  revival  which  seems  to  be  beginning  along 
this  coast.  There  is  little  cane  grown  in  St.  Mary : 
most  of  the  cultivation  is  in  fruit  and  ground  provis- 
ions. The  most  startling  effect  in  foliage,  probably, 
that  ever  greeted  the  eye,  is  that  sea  of  cocoanut 
tops  interspersed  with  bananas  that  grows  at  Ora 
Cabessa.  As  before  stated,  the  chances  for  Annotto 
Bay  seem  almost  brilliant,  in  view  of  its  situation  and 
probable  steam  communication  with  the  south  side  of 
the  island.  Port  Maria,  if  it  holds  its  own,  will  have 
much  to  do. 

St.  Ann,  into  which  we  are  entering,  is  the  spot  to 
which  most  Jamaicans  point  with  pride.  "  Have  you 
been  to  St.  Ann's  Bay?  Ah  !  then  you  will  see  some- 
thing worth  seeing.  That  is  Jamaica's  garden." 

That  depends  upon  the  eyes  with  which  one  sees. 
To  perception  attuned  to  English  parks,  high  cultiva- 
tion and  an  air  of  serene  thrift,  St.  Ann  is  satisfying. 
It  has  all  the  outward  visible  signs  of  prosperity  in  its 
rolling  fields  and  the  green  of  its  perfect  verdure,  but 


From  Buff  Bay  to  the  Roaring  River.  175 

the  ruggedness  and  the  picturesqueness  of  the  moun- 
tainous land  is  gone.  We  have  left  the  blue  moun- 
tains behind  us.  St.  Thomas-in-the-Vale  affords  but 
a  distant  and  shifting  background.  The  land  has  be- 
come simply  moderately  hilly,  but  is  abundantly 
watered  by  streams  of  exquisite  beauty. 

Here  it  was  the  Spaniards  settled  first.  Columbus 
landed  here,  at  Dry  Harbor,  and  not  far  from  the  site 
of  his  approach  the  last  Spanish  governor,  Don  Sasi, 
fled  in  a  little  boat  from  the  point  known  as  Runaway 
Bay.  There  is  a  bay  just  a  few  miles  beyond  the 
White  River,  westward,  on  which  is  a  town  bearing  the 
name  of  Ocho  Rios.  The  ch  in  Ocho  is  pronounced 
soft  by  the  inhabitants,  in  violence  to  its  Spanish 
origin.  C/iercras  it  used  to  be — the  Bay  of  the  Water- 
falls; a  name  certainly  as  descriptive  as  it  was  poetic. 
The  present  appellation,  "  Eight  Rivers,"  does  not  do 
justice  to  the  many  streams  that  rush  foaming  down 
the  slopes  and  cool  their  boiling  little  bodies  in  the 
sea.  The  harbor  is  considered  a  good  one.  The  trade 
of  the  place  as  a  shipping  port  is  said  to  be  on  the  in- 
crease, but  its  morality  suffers  from  the  fact  that  the 
English  men-of-war  visit  it  in  order  to  give  shore 
leave  to  their  crews. 

Near  here  Don  Sasi  made  his  last  stand.  From 
Ocho  Rios  a  branch  joins  the  great  interior  road  be- 
tween Ewarton  and  St.  Ann's  Bay. 

This  neighborhood  exhibits  the  most  perfect  natural 
irrigation  imaginable.  The  ramifications  of  the  Roar- 
ing River,  which  lies  just  beyond  Ocho  Rios,  and  the 
roaring  of  which  can  be  heard  for  a  long  distance,  are 


176  The  New  famaica. 

almost  numberless,  and  are  due  to  a  peculiar  habit  the 
stream  has  of  damming  itself  at  every  possible  point. 
The  water  is  full  of  lime  and  silica  in  solution,  and 
these  it  deposits  in  walls  which  invariably  check  and 
deflect  its  own  flow,  turning  it  to  the  right  or  left 
where  it  industriously  begins  to  build  fresh  dams  and 
seek  new  channels. 

From  the  work  called  "  Picturesque  Jamaica  "  we 
quote  a  description  of  the  source  of  this  singular 
stream. 

"  This  river  rises,  or  rather  appears,  about  two  miles 
from  the  sea,  issuing  from  among  rocks  in  a  shallow 
ravine  with  a  large  volume  of  water  sufficient  to  fill  a 
pipe  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  flows  rapidly  down  a 
narrow  channel  to  the  falls  or  cascade.  The  only  ap- 
pearance of  water  above  the  head  is  at  the  Blue  Hole, 
Rio  Hoe  and  Walton,  near  Moneague,  ten  or  twelve 
miles  away.  The  flow  of  water  at  the  head  shows 
clearly  that  it  is  not  a  spring,  or  the  appearance  of 
water  percolating  through  the  earth — like  the  Bog,  a 
mile  or  so  east — but  the  visible  appearance  of  a  large 
stream  already  formed  and  flowing  in  an  unobstructed 
channel  beneath  the  surface ;  and  it  is  a  singular  fact 
that  the  volume  of  water  is  seldom  affected  by  either 
floods  or  drought,  never  dry,  indicating  a  drainage  of 
a  large  area.  Considerable  accession  is  made  to  the 
quantity  of  water  before  it  reaches  the  falls,  mostly 
from  subterraneous  sources." 

Where  the  road  crosses  the  main  stream  there  is  a 
strong  little  stone  bridge,  from  which  one  is  startled 
by  a  view  so  strange  and  unusual  that  it  seems  to 


From  Buff  Bay  to  the  Roaring  River.  177 

reverse  all  the  laws  of  flow  and  growth  in  woods  and 
waterfalls.  There  is  a  pellucid  pool,  calm,  but  flowing 
with  a  strong  current,  in  which  flourishes  a  grove  of 
mountain  cabbage  (palm),  anchovy  pears,  banyans  and 
many  other  plants,  ferns  and  vines,  that  usually  choose 
dry  places  for  their  habitat.  Roots  form  bridges  here 
and  there,  by  which  the  pool  may  be  crossed  at  its 


lower  end,  and  standing  upon  one  of  these,  looking  up 
at  the  cascades,  which  seem  fairly  to  drop  from  the 
branches  of  the  further  trees,  it  is  difficult  not  to  give 
way  to  the  impression  that  enchantment  has  been  in 
some  way  responsible  for  this  strange  scene.  The 
sight  of  mountain  mullet  turn  our  thoughts  to  more 
familiar  channels. 

Leaving  the  trap,  with   Richard  on  guard,  under  a 


178  The  New  Jamaica, 

magnificent  banyan  tree  that  grows  in  a  field  to  the 
left  of  the  pool,  we  started  for  the  great  fall  -whose 
voice  we  could  hear  in  the  distance.  It  is  over  a  mile 
from  the  road,  and  is  probably  150  feet  in  height  and 
175  in  breadth.  There  is  not  one  continuous  sheet  of 
water,  but  a  myriad  small  cascades,  feathery  and 
brilliant,  massed  together,  clustered,  glancing  at  a 
hundred  different  angles,  breaking  into  a  thousand 
foam  jets  and  playing  with  a  broken  rainbow  that  has 
got  inextricably  tangled  among  them.  The  habit 
that  this  eccentric  stream  has  of  throwing  out  terraces, 
ridges  and  dams  is  probably  the  cause  of  the  bold 
promontory  from  which  it  falls.  It  has  been  built  out 
inch  by  inch,  and  is  still  building,  a  living  monument 
to  nature's  originality. 

Back  of  Roaring  River,  in  the  Pedro  district,  is  a 
Wesleyan  high  school  at  a  place  called  York  Castle. 
A  village  which  goes  either  by  the  name  of  Clare- 
mount  or  Finger  Post  is  on  a  side  road,  near  the 
junction  of  the  interior  St.  Ann's  Bay  road  with  that 
to  Brownstown.  Where  the  St.  Ann's  Bay  road 
joins  the  Ocho  Rios  branch  is  situated  the  town  of 
Moneague,  a  growing  inland  village  with  the  usual 
complement  of  church  chapels  and  government  build- 
ings. 


ST.  ANN'S  BAY. 


WE  drive  into  St.  Ann's  Bay,  a  town  whose  popula- 
tion approaches  2000  souls,  late  in  the  day,  having 
finally  succeeded  in  leaving  Roaring  River  and  its  at- 
tractions behind  us.  At  St.  Ann's  Bay  reside  several 
gentlemen  who  are  prominent  in  matters  influencing 
the  prosperity  of  the  country ;  and  its  business,  espe- 
cially in  fruit  exports  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  it  has, 
in  common  with  Port  Antonio  and  Montego  Bay, 
direct  and  regular  communication  with  the  United 
States. 

Not  more  than  a  mile  away  from  the  town  was 
"  Sevilla  d'Oro  "  of  the  Spaniards:  Golden  Seville, 
founded  by  Don  Juan  de  Esquivel,  Jamaica's  first 
governor.  It  seems  almost  incredible  that  in  that 
early  day,  surrounded  by  what  was  then  an  unknown 
wilderness,  there  should  have  sprung  up  a  city  of 
which  we  read  that  the  pavements  of  its  cathedral 
extended  two  miles,  that  its  theatre  and  palaces  were 
splendid  and  its  monastery  world-famous. 

We  found  a  quaint  inn  kept  by  Mrs.  Watson,  on 
the  main  street.  We  were  satisfied  with  our  quarters 
•and  fare,  and  sought  no  further.  It  is  a  pleasantly 
situated  house,  with  wide  inn  yard  and  many  out- 
buildings. The  recent  epidemic  of  hotel  building 


180  The  New  Jamaica. 

had  seized  Mrs.  Watson,  and  she  had  in  process  of 
construction  an  addition  to  the  house.  Later  the 
Honorable  Michael  Solomon,  Gustos  of  the  parish, 
showed  us,  on  an  elevation  back  of  the  town,  the  pro- 
posed site  for  a  new  hotel  which  it  is  hoped  that  the 
growing  needs  of  the  place  will  demand. 

A  long  interview  with  Mr.  Solomon  on  the  labor 
question  showed  that  he  stood  as  we  had  been  led  to 
expect,  as  a  firm  though  not  blind  friend  of  the  peas- 
antry. While  seriously  admitting  the  faults  of  the 
race,  which  he  (in  common  with  the  unknown  author 
of  the  Blackwood's  paper,  from  whom  he  quoted)  held 
to  be  the  faults  of  children,  he  spoke  confidently  of 
their  advance. 

He  touched  upon  the  fact  that  the  plantations  still 
put  more  money  in  circulation  in  the  country  than 
any  other  industry. 

While  we  chatted,  a  woman  came  in  and  begged, — a 
buxom  black  woman  of  thirty-five  years. 

"  I  come  to  see  de  Gustos,  sah." 

"Well?" 

"  I  waanteh  few  shillin,  sah." 

"Have  you  no  work?" 

"  No  maastah — please  Gawd." 

"  How  many  children  have  you  ?  " 

"  I  done  got  fifteen  sah — dat  all." 

It  was  only  a  loan  she  required  and  the  Gustos,  who 
is  usually  the  guardian  and  father,  especially  of  the 
poor  of  his  parish,  seemed  to  think  she  deserved  it. 

The  house  of  Kerr  &  Co.  dispatch  a  great  deal 
of  fruit  and  other  produce  to  the  United  States,  and 


St.  Ann's  Bay  and  Browns  town.  181 

E.  J.  Wessels,  a  young  American,  has  successfully 
established  a  business  in  this  line  that  might  well 
excite  the  envy  of  much  older  men. 

From  Mr.  Wessels  we  have  since  obtained  informa- 
tion upon  fruit  culture,  and  especially  banana  raising, 
which  is  as  interesting  as  it  is  valuable,  both  to  him 
who  gathers  facts  for  their  own  sake  and  to  the  practi- 
cal business  man  who  intends  to  use  his  knowledge  as 
an  investment,  with  his  capital. 

The  good  season  for  bananas  (or  rather  the  best 
season)  is  from  March  I,  to  July  I,  four  months  of 
good  prices,  which  are  followed  by  eight  months  of 
poorer. 

Prices  at  the  best  are  £15  per  hundred  bunches,  and 
at  the  poorest  £$  per  hundred.  When  not  grown 
three  miles  from  the  shipping  place  it  is  estimated 
that  it  costs  £4  per  one  hundred  bunches,  to  produce 
the  fruit.  The  margin  of  profit  is  not  so  high  as  it 
seems,  however,  when  we  consider  that  a  hurricane 
may  occasionally  mow  down  an  entire  crop  ;  a  remote 
contingency  which,  however,  must  be  provided  for. 

At  one  time  there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  inland 
transportation,  to  obviate  which  E.  J.  Wessels  and 
Captain  Baker  exported  great  ox  wagons  to  be  used 
for  this  purpose.  These  the  growers  hire  at  a  reason- 
able rate  and  thus  are  enabled  to  bring  larger  supplies 
to  the  market,  to  the  benefit  both  of  themselves  and 
the  shipping  houses  that  handle  the  fruit. 

The  gross  earning  of  an  acre  of  bananas  in  one  sea- 
son is  calculated  to  be  at  least  £7  ios.,  which  yields  a 
tidy  profit  to  the  cultivator.  Owing  to  the  difference 


1 82  The  New  Jamaica. 

in  soils  the  maturity  of  the  fruit  varies  from  nine  to 
twelve  months  from  the  time  of  planting.  It  is  most 
important  to  know  this.  One  understanding  the  soil 
of  any  particular  place,  and  being  able  to  tell  how 
long  it  will  take  the  plants  to  bear  will  time  his  culti- 
vation so  as  to  take  advantage  of  the  higher  prices  of 
the  spring  market. 

A  good  crop  may  be  very  much  lowered  in  value 
by  bad  handling.  Many  growers  crowd  too  many 
bunches  into  a  dray  in  order  to  save  transportation 
and  so  injure  a  great  deal  of  fruit.  Others  cut  and 
bruise  the  bunches  by  wrapping  in  "  trash "  (dry 
banana  leaves,  etc.)  for  transportation.  The  "  trash  " 
should  be  well  watered  and  softened  before  binding 
the  bunches. 

At  present,  Mr.  Wessels  is  making  practically  the 
first  experiments  that  have  been  made  towards  the 
use  of  fertilizers.  In  many  localities  the  natural  pro- 
ductivity of  the  soil  is  such  that  it  would  laugh  at 
such  expedients. 

As  a  final  suggestion  to  any  one  who  would  embark 
in  banana  growing,  test  your  soil  first.  Not  all  soil 
will  grow  bananas  at  a  profit  to  the  cultivator.  The 
foregoing  notes  in  the  main  apply  as  well  to  Port 
Antonio  and  all  other  fruit  growing  districts  in 
Jamaica.  The  conditions  are  largely  the  same. 

St.  Ann's  Bay  possesses  a  handsome  market,  over 
the  gate  of  which  is  a  clock  presented  by  Mr.  Solo- 
mon, a  few  years  ago.  There  are  also  three  churches, 
Episcopal,  Wesleyan  and  Baptist ;  a  court-house,  con- 
stabulary station,  goal  and  hospital. 


St.  Ann's  Bay  and  Brownstoum.  183 

On  our  way  out  of  the  town  we  pass  the  place 
where  Golden  Seville  flourished,  and  where  the  great 
monastery  and  abbey  stood  in  days  of  yore,  but 
though  we  searched  carefully  over  ground  where  they 
stood  we  found  nothing,  absolutely,  of  a  city  which 
owed  allegiance  to  a  Columbus,  of  a  great  religious 
establishment  within  whose  walls  the  name  of  Peter 
Martyr  was  potent. 

There  is  a  village  in  St.  Ann  that  goes  by  the  unin- 
viting name  of  Dry  Harbor.  That  would  suggest  that 
it  possesses  prohibition  principles,  but  the  fact  is  that 
water  is  the  scarce  article.  There  is  no  fresh  water  at 
Dry  Harbor  except  what  is  caught  from  the  clouds  in 
tanks,  yet  the  place  flourishes  and  trade  increases.  In 
the  vicinity  of  this  town  it  was  that  Columbus,  upon 
his  second  voyage  of  discovery,  landed,  and  took  for- 
mal possession  of  Jamaica. 

The  neighborhood  boasts  a  number  of  caverns.  Not 
so  brilliant  and  attractive  as  those  of  Kentucky  or 
Virginia,  but  still  very  interesting  to  the  visitor. 
Water  percolating  through  white  limestone  does  not 
offer  the  finest  results  in  stalactites  and  stalagmites  ; 
still  there  is  much  to  challenge  the  attention  and  waken 
imagination,  as  one  proceeds  a  little  way  into  the 
depths  and  views  the  intricate  multitude  of  passages ; 
dark  labyrinths,  that  extend,  for  aught  that  is  known 
to  the  contrary,  for  miles  and  miles  under  the  hills. 
Doubtless  there  are  lakes  and  lost  rivers  back  there  in 
the  shadows.  Many  a  sink  hole  drains  the  surface 
above  and  takes  the  water  into  some  subterranean  pas- 
sage. Driving  over  the  hills  for  long  distances  the 


184 


The  New  Jamaica. 


St.  Ann's  Bay  and  Broumstown.  185 

carriage  wheels  woke  an  echo  under  the  road  that 
sounded  like  distant  thunder.  Probably  all  the  west- 
ern end  of  St.  Ann  is  undermined,  and  perhaps  ready, 
in  time  of  some  great  siesmatic  disturbance,  to  subside 
and  change  its  topography,  as  did  Port  Royal  and  the 
southeast  once.  The  rushing  of  those  subterraneous 
streams  "  robs  the  pillars  "  of  nature's  mine,  and  a  tre- 
mendous down-fall  of  the  upper  crust  is  the  result. 

Let  us  hope,  for  the  sake  of  so  gentle  a  saint,  that 
the  parish  named  in  her  honor  will  not  suffer  such  a_ 
catastrophe. 

Looking  back  from  the  road  to  Brownstown,  the  eye 
beholds  again  those  waving  green  fields  and  garden-like 
plantations  that  help  to  make  St.  Ann  so  famous. 
The  road  is  built  on  the  hillside  and  terraced  well  in 
some  places.  One  side  often  presents  a  bank  of  fern, 
a  bed  of  begonias  or  a  cluster  of  broad-leaved  "  May 
Poles,"  while  on  the  other  the  wild  fig  and  the  Spanish 
bayonet  barely  find  foothold. 

The  soil  changes  to  the  deep  red  hue  which  affords 
so  brilliant  a  contrast  with  the  outcropping  limestone 
that  appears  everywhere,  and  the  vivid  green  of  the 
fresh  fields  and  leaves.  Huts  by  the  wayside,  framed 
with  bamboo,  wattled  with  rush  or  cane  and  thatched 
with  dry  banana  leaves,  have  been  daubed  for  preser- 
vation with  the  clay,  which  is  so  like  ochre  in  its  qual- 
ity that  it  has  been  used  in  paint.  As  the  clay  in 
various  localities  varies,  so  the  colors  of  the  houses  do, 
from  chrome  yellow  to  a  deep  maroon.  These,  with  the 
brilliant  white  of  the  walls,  make  a  startling  land- 
scape. 


i86 


The  New  Jamaica. 


I/    II 

'  J 

;  } 


St.  Anns  Bay  and  Browns  town. 


i87 


Brownstown  is  one  of  the  prettiest,  trimmest  little 
places  imaginable.  The  tumble-down,  squalid,  sordid 
appearance  that  one  or  two  towns  on  the  coast  possess, 
that  look  as  though  they  had  seen  their  best  days,  is 
utterly  lacking  in  Brownstown.  It  has  a  clean,  bright 
aspect  about  it,  from  the  "  Norman  "  New  Market 
(named  after  Sir  Henry  W.  Norman),  at  the  foot  ot 


the  hill,  to  the  Tabernacle  built  by  the  evangelist,  Dr. 
Johnson.  Being  a  hill  town,  there  is  little  level  walk- 
ing possible  in  Brownstown,  but  the  air  is  so  good  that 
under  its  influence  the  hills  forget  to  be  fatiguing. 
Dr.  Johnson  is  the  presiding  genius  of  the  place : 
preacher,  physician,  builder,  photographer  and  adviser 
to  half  the  population.  We  are  indebted  to  his  excel- 
lent photographs  for  some  of  the  illustrations  of  this 


1 88  The  New  Jamaica. 

book.  The  people  find  his  tanks  almost  miraculously 
filled  in  time  of  drought,  and  the  supply  free  to  all  who 
ask,  while  others  are  selling  water. 

We  will  not  say  that  he  is  beloved  by  all,  because  he 
is  too  forcible  a  character  for  that  ;  but  a  great  many 
men  would  be  proud  of  his  personal  following. 

Brownstown  is  the  commercial  clearing  house  for 
the  hill  region  of  the  interior.  One  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants, Mr.  Levy,  has  a  number  of  shops,  carrying  a 
stock  that  might  suggest  big  possibilities  to  American 
manufacturers  and  wholesale  merchants. 

There  is  in  Mr.  Levy's  employ  an  old  man  whose 
general  usefulness  is  acknowledged  and  whose  eccentric 
views  are  evidenced  by  a  coffin  which  he  had  made  for 
himself  several  years  ago  and  which,  having  it  hanging 
where  he  can  feast  his  eyes  on  it  every  day,  he 
enjoys  in  anticipation.  For  thirteen  years  it  has 
waited  for  him. 

Besides  the  buildings  noticed  there  is  in  Brownstown 
a  good  court  house  and  police  statio^  a  very  pretty 
Episcopal  church,  a  Baptist  place  of  worship  and  a  re- 
markably comfortable,  clean,  and  inviting  lodging,  kept 
by  one  Mistress  Delisser. 

Stewart  Town,  on  the  Brownstown  and  Falmouth 
road,  is  principally  noteworthy  for  having  in  its  imme- 
diate neighborhood  one  of  those  sudden  resurrections 
that  seem  to  be  the  peculiar  characteristic  of  the  rivers 
of  this  part  of  the  island. 

The  Rio  Bueno,  which  was  probably  the  Sink  River 
in  the  southern  part  of  Trelawney,  bursts  suddenly 
from  the  ground  and  escapes  to  the  sea,  and  is  the 


6V.  Ann's  Bay  and  Brownslown,  189 

boundary  line  between  the  parishes  of  St.  Ann  and 
Trelawney.  It  empties  near  the  town  and  bay  of  Rio 
Bueuo,  once  an  important  shipping  port. 


FALMOUTH  AND  VICINAGE. 


THE  Martha  Brae  is  a  river  that  is  uncertain 
whether  it  should  run  like  Aph,  the  sacred  river  de- 
scribed in  the  poet's  dream,  "  through  caverns,  meas- 
ureless by  man,"  or  whether  its  best  course  is  a  frank 
above-ground  one.  Doubtless  its  first  appearance  was 
in  the  Mouth  River,,  that  drops  quietly  into  its  burrow 
after  awhile  and  defies  pursuit  or  detection.  From 
the  place  where  it  comes  to-  daylight  again  the  Martha 
Brae  runs  a  sinuous  course  to  a  town  once  known  as 
Melilla,  near  Falmouth.  That  was  a  place  that  the 
Spaniards  built  when  they  first  landed  in  Jamaica  and 
afterwards  abandoned.  It  is  now  known  by  the  name 
of  Martha  Brae. 

All  the  world  knows  that  the  powerful  loadstone 
which  drew  most  Spaniards  to  the  New  World  was 
gold  ;  and  Martha  Brae  has  its  golden  legend. 

In  Sir  Augustus  J.  Adderley's  sketch  of  Jamaica 
appears  this  paragraph : 

"  In  the  '  Notes  to  Thomas  Burton's  Diary  '  (Claren- 
don State  Papers),  will  be  found  this  curious  remark: 
—The  secret  golden  mine  which  -hath  not  yet  been 
opened  by  the  King  of  Spain  or  by  any  other  is  four 
miles  from  Mestan  towards  the  east.  It  is  near  the 
way  towards  Mellila.  The  earth  is  black — rivulets 


Falmouth  and  Vicinage.  191 

discover  the  source  of  the  mine.  The  name  Sevilla 
has  survived,  and  is  now  the  parish  of  St.  Ann,  and  a 
French  author  tells  us,  writing  in  1660,  that  the  town 
of  Ovistan,  built  by  the  Spaniards,  is  not  far  from  a 
bay  or  river  in  which  the  Bluefields  River  disgorges 
itself.  Bridges  has  also  traced  the  spot  where  once 
stood  the  town  of  Millila  on  the  banks  of  the  Martha 
Brae  River,  so  that  we  have  Sevilla  in  St.  Anns 
Ovistan  in  Bluefield  Bay,  and  Millila  on  the  banks  of 
the  Martha  Brae.  The  so-called  secret  gold  mine 
must  therefore  be  somewhere  in  this  region,  if  it  exists 
at  all.  The  story  goes  that  the  Spanish  Governor, 
Don  Pedro  d'Esquimel,  extracted  the  secret  of  its 
existence  from  an  unfortunate  Indian  chief  by  the 
usual  means  of  torture.  The  wretched  man  had 
appeared  before  his  Excellency  only  too  magnifi- 
cently decorated  with  golden  ornaments,  and  thereby 
awakened  his  appetite  for  possessing  a  knowledge  as 
to  the  spot  whence  the  chief  obtained  such  riches. 
"'Were  I  to  search  for  the  famous  secret  mine,'  says 
Bridges,  *  I  should  look  for  it  on  the  Maxfield  estate 
and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Trelawney.'  " 

Falmouth  has  a  population  of  between  three  and 
four  thousand  souls.  Its  pride  is  in  its  public  build- 
ings, its  water  supply  and  its  history.  Its  prison 
buildings  are  unusually  fine  and  well  kept,  though 
fortunately  not  unusually  full.  The  court-house  in 
the  centre  of  the  town,  is  one  of  the  best  on  the 
island,  contains  offices  for  nearly  all  the  parochial 
boards  and  officers,  and  has  a  ball-room  of  delightful 
size,  upon  the  walls  of  which  are  two  full  length  por- 


192  The  New  Jamaica. 

traits  of  former  governors  of  Jamaica.  The  churches 
of  Falmouth  are  fine  edifices,  the  Baptist  chapel 
being  especially  so.  There  are  military  barracks  ca- 
pable of  containing  700  men,  but  at  present  a  force  of 
about  thirteen  "  constabs,"  occupy  (?)  them.  To  get 
to  the  almshouse  and  prison  the  shortest  path  is  across 
a  causeway  which  divides  as  fine  a  musquito  nest  as 
any  place  can  boast.  The  water  supply  drawn  from 
the  Martha  Brae  is  stored  in  a  large  tank  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  town.  Thence  it  is  distributed  by  pipes, 
or  drawn  by  the  people,  who  come  with  their  various 
vessels  to  draw. 

Though  still  important,  there  is  a  general  complaint 
that  the  business  of  Falmouth  has  fallen  off  of  late 
years.  This  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  due  to  the  great 
rock  in  the  harbor's  mouth,  which  is  a  very  serious 
impediment  to  large  steamers.  The  old  sailing  craft 
being  smaller  did  not  find  the  same  difficulty  in  escap- 
ing it.  Until  that  rock  is  blown  up  and  the  harbor 
made  safe,  Falmouth  must  expect  to  lose  by  it. 

Some  of  the  business  men  and  land-owners  of  the 
vicinity  complain  of  a  scarcity  of  labor.  Everywhere, 
where  there  is  such  a  shortage,  the  sugar  planter  feels 
it  first.  The  estates  have  less  hold  on  the  laboring- 
people  than  any  other  class  of  employment.  But  the 
majority  of  people  in  Falmouth  are  disposed  to  be 
very  serious  over  the  scarcity  of  employment  which  is 
a  more  vital  matter.  As  yet  the  district  produces 
little  or  no  fruit. 


MONTEGO  BAY. 


ONE  of  the  best  places  in  Montego  Bay  from  which 
to  view  the  town  is  the  large  house  kept  as  an  inn  by 
Mr.  Payne.  There  are  other  lodgings  in  the  town,  but 
Mr0  Payne's  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  and  best  on  the 
island.  Its  windows  overlook  the  harbor  and  from 
its  vantage  above  the  heat  or  the  night  dampness  of 
the  lower  land,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that  beauty 
is,  after  all,  the  thing  most  to  be  valued  in  life 
(after  a  good  dinner),  and  we  have  secured  them 
both. 

Under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Corinaldi,  the  United 
States  Consular  agent,  we  visited  the  court-house  and 
the  church,  admiring  in  the  latter  some  good  statuary, 
studying  the  mortuary  tablets  with  which  the  floor  is 
paved,  and  mounting  under  the  fine-toned  bell  to  the 
tower  from  which  the  amphitheatre  of  hills  can  be 
viewed  that  surrounds  the  town. 

In  that  church  we  were  shown  the  memorial  erected 
years  ago  to  a  good  and  beautiful  woman — good, 
according  to  the  inscription  on  the  marble,  and  beauti- 
ful by  tradition.  Yet  this  gentle  saint  was  pointed 
out  to  all  comers  for  many  years  as  an  utterly  de- 
praved character,  a  murderess,  in  fine,  whose  hands 
had  been  dyed  with  the  blood  of  her  own  husband. 


194 


The  Neiv  Jamaica. 


Time  is  a  great  indicator.  One  day  some  one  dis- 
covered records  which  clearly  proved  that  not  this 
woman  but  another  of  the  same  name  had  committed 
the  deed  for  which  for  years  this  marble  has  blushed. 
In  spite  of  the  contradiction  (which  may  not  yet  have 
reached  the  land  where  avenging-  ghosts  have  their 
habitat),  there  was  when  we  called  a  tiny  spot  of  fresh 
blood  on  the  stone  at  the  base  of  the  monu- 
ment. 


While  we  are  loitering  within  the  sacred  walls  there 
is  much  to  be  seen  in  the  busy  town.  Montego  Bay 
has  a  population  of  four  or  five  thousand  people.  It 
is  commonly  supposed  to  rank  next  to  Kingston  in 
commercial  importance.  Messrs.  J.  E.  Kerr  &  Co., 
the  owners  of  a  steamship  line  running  to  the  United 
States,  have  their  headquarters  here,  and  the  Atlas 


Montego  Bay.  195 

Company's  vessels  and  others  visit  its  harbor  regularly, 
having  their  agents  in  the  place. 

The  name  originally  was  Manteca  Bay,  "  Butter 
Bay,"  or,  rather,  "  Lard  Bay,"  for  it  was  in  the  latter 
commodity  that  the  Spaniards  dealt  most  extensively. 
A  general  shipping  business  in  the  staples  of  the 
country  has  been  largely  augmented  by  the  increasing 
fruit  trade,  and  it  is  said  that  many  properties  in  the 
neighborhood  which  have  been  considered  almost 
valueless,  have  become  profitable  as  fruit  lands.  Be- 
sides this  the  people  are  more  generally  employed 
and  are  more  contented.  The  chief  buildings  in  the 
town  are  the  court-house,  the  Episcopal  Church  and 
Trinity  Chapel,  the  chapels  belonging  to  the  Wesleyan, 
the  Baptist  and  the  United  Presbyterian  denomina- 
tions, the  custom  house  and  the  old  barracks. 

We  have  referred  to  J.  E.  Kerr  &  Co.,  as  having 
their  headquarters  in  Montego  Bay.  That  firm  de* 
serves  more  than  cursory  mention,  since  its  enter- 
prise has  largely  been  the  means  not  only  of  keeping 
Montego  from  the  condition  of  decadence  into  which 
so  many  Jamaican  seaports  have  fallen,  but  has 
actually  built  up  and  improved  the  commerce  of  the 
place  to  such  an  extent  that  now  the  outlook  for  the 
future  is  even  brilliant.  Added  to  this,  their  steam- 
ers are  known  to  be  among  the  fastest  of  those  steam- 
ing among  the  West  India  Islands.  The  parish  of 
St.  James  generally  feels  this  impetus  given  to  trade. 
Like  most  of  the  north  ports  Montego  Bay's  com- 
merce is  largely  with  the  United  States.  Montego 
Bay  has,  within  a  few  years,  been  greatly  improved 


196  The  New  Jamaica. 

from  a  sanitary  standpoint  by  the  filling  in  of  a  swamp 
in  the  neighborhood.  Of  all  the  towns  of  the  North 
and  West  this  one  has  shown  first  interest  in  the 
Kingston  fair.  There  is  here  a  fine  market,  and  the 
usual  complement  of  public  buildings. 


IN  HANOVER  AND  WESTMORELAND. 


"  HAVE  you  been  to  Lucea?  Do  you  not  think  it 
one  of  the  finest  towns  in  Jamaica?"  is  a  question 
which  we  have  had  frequently  to  answer.  Lucea  is  a 
beautifully  situated  little  town  of  nearly  two  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  near  the  northwestern  point  of  the 
island,  where  the  coast  begins  to  slope  to  the  south- 
west. Its  harbor  is  a  deep,  almost  circular  basin, 
much  narrower  at  the  entrance  than  inside,  so  that  in 
approaching  from  the  east  we  are  much  nearer  the 
town  when  we  first  come  in  sight  of  it,  than  when  a 
half  mile  further  advanced  in  the  road.  The  houses, 
business  buildings  and  court-house  are  on  low  ground 
facing  the  east  and  north,  while  above  them  on  the 
hills  are  pleasant  residences,  and  picturesque  grounds. 
Here  also  is  a  fine  old  church,  and  beyond  it  but  a 
little  distance,  the  clean  and  well-kept  prison.  The 
fort  (Charlotte)  at  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  has  been 
converted  into  a  constabulary  station.  Besides  the 
Anglican  Church  Lucea  has  a  Kirk  and  Baptist 
chapel  below  the  hill.  The  climate  of  Lucea  is  rec- 
ommended as  being  exceedingly  good,  and  statistics 
show  the  place  to  be  a  healthful  one.  We  were  told 
of  one  or  two  lodging-houses  in  Lucea  but  chose  one 
that  had  been  specially  recommended  to  us,  kept  by 


198  The  New  Jamaica. 

Mistress  Vosper.  We  found  the  lodgings  fair  and  the 
board  better.  The  only  drawback  was  a  drain  or 
canal  which  a  continued  drought  had  left  in  a  stagnant 
condition,  running  next  to  the  house  and  filling  the 
air  with  an  odor  that  was  not  perfume. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Davis,  rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
is  our  authority  for  the  statement  that  in  Hanover 
exists  the  same  scarcity  of  laborers  that  is  complained 
of  in  other  parts  of  Jamaica  and  for  which  there  is 
suggested  no  remedy  but  immigration.  At  the  time 
of  our  visit,  early  in  July,  we  found  a  very  slight 
awakening  interest  in  the  coming  industrial  exhibition 
at  Kingston.  Wherever  such  an  interest  has  ripened 
it  has  been  by  active  personal  endeavor  on  the  part 
of  representative  men,  and  largely  through  the  estab- 
lishment of  local  preliminary  fairs. 

We  left  Lucea  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  July. 
Such  of  our  readers  as  have  been  accustomed  to  re- 
gard the  Stars  and  Stripes  with  reverence  and  affection, 
can  understand  how  we  searched  (vainly)  for  a  flag 
that  should  bear  the  familiar  arrangement  of  red,  white 
and  blue.  Nor  were  our  efforts  to  secure  a  pack  of 
"  fire  crackers  "  more  successful.  As  we  drove  up  into 
the  hill  country  we  tried  to  sound  Richard's  ignorance 
on  the  subject  of  American  Institutions.  He  had 
heard  that  the  Fourth  was  some  kind  of  a  thanksgiv- 
ing day,  but  he  did  not  know  who  George  Washing- 
ton was.  Neither  could  he  learn  to  whistle  The  Star 
Spangled  Banner.  We  did  our  best,  but  it  was  a  lone- 
some festival. 

Our  anticipation  of  finding  in  the  interior  of  Han- 


In  Hanover  and  Westmoreland.  199 

over  the  Switzerland  of  Jamaica  was  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment. The  "  Dolphin's  Head  "  Peak  that  loomed 
up  to  the  left  of  our  road  was  certainly  charming,  and 
would  be  an  ornament  to  any  landscape,  but  it  was 
not  Alpine  in  its  proportions  nor  iu  its  contour,  being 
two  thousand  feet  high.  Neither  did  the  little  cabins 
by  the  wayside  resemble  the  Swiss  chalets  in  anything 
but  size.  The  vegetation  seemed  rather  less  tropical 
than  that  of  the  eastern  end  of  the  island.  But  it  is  a 
beautiful  road,- offering  numberless  surprises  to  the 
traveller  and  presenting  at  almost  every  turn  some 
new  delight  in  scenery. 

Our  objective  point  was  Savana  la  Mar,  to  which 
three  roads  converge.  We  were  on  the  central  one. 
The  more  westerly  takes  in  the  village  of  Green 
Island,  and  unites  with  ours  at  the  border  of  West- 
moreland. The  eastern  road  is  a  more  direct  course 
from  Montego  Bay.  Some  of  the  most  valuable  graz- 
ing pens  on  the  island  are  situated  in  this  part  of  it. 
Here  is  Knockalva,  whose  Hereford  cattle  are  famous, 
and  over  whose  thousands  of  acres  of  pasture  land 
noble  herds  are  bred  and  reared.  Hanover  has  more 
than  four  times  the  acreage  in  pasture  that  it  has  in 
cultivation,  and  both  together  do  not  half  equal  the 
number  ot  acres  in  woods  and  ruinate.  The  logic  of 
such  a  fact  leaves  no  room  for  argument  on  the  ques- 
tion of  under-population. 

We  have  passed  many  gardens  where  the  famous 
"  Lucea  yam,"  which  has  been  so  valuable  a  product 
for  export  to  Colon,  is  cultivated.  To  the  west  lie  the 
hills  between  the  Fish  River  and  Negril's,  beyond 


200  The  New  Jamaica. 

which  arc  the  marshes  of  Long  Bay,  which  the  alliga- 
tors are  said  to  haunt.  We  have  passed  into  West- 
moreland, and  begin  the  descent  through  a  sugar- 
growing  country  towards  the  plain  of  Savana  la 
Mar,  which,  like  Kingston,  is  built  on  low  ground. 
The  two  greatest  disasters  of  Jamaican  history  did  not 
occur  in  the  mountains.  The  earthquake  which  swal- 
lowed Port  Royal  was  almost  equalled  in  horror  half  a 
century  later  by  the  tidal  wave  which  swept  Savana 
la  Mar  and  all  it  contained  of  human  life  and  property 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  We  are  struck  (as  we 
drive  in  through  the  rain  which  met  us  on  the  south- 
ern hillslope)  with  the  appearance  of  the  single,  broad, 
central  street  which  runs  inland  at  right  angles  to  the 
shore.  The  reason  for  this  position  is  apparent ;  the 
old  city,  the  city  of  the  tidal  wave,  having  been  built 
along  the  shore,  at  present  the  court-house,  a  half- 
mile  from  the  wharves,  marks  the  limit  of  that  de- 
vastation. 

Savana  la  Mar  is  an  important  seaport  with  a 
population  of  between  two  and  three  thousand  souls. 
It  contains  several  large  business  houses,  and  has 
postal  communication  every  day  with  other  parts  of 
the  island.  There  are  Episcopal,  Wesleyan  and  Bap- 
tist Churches;  the  building  of  the  Wesleyan  being 
new,  and  all  the  places  of  worship  commodious  and 
services  well  attended.  The  water  supply  is  excellent. 
There  is  good  medical  attendance  to  be  had  in  the 
place,  we  are  told,  though,  fortunately,  we  have  had 
no  occasion  to  prove  the  accuracy  of  the  statement. 
Nearly  opposite  the  constabulary  station  we  find  loclg- 


In  Hanover  and  Westmoreland.  201 

ing  at  a  very  pleasant  little  hotel,  where  clean  beds 
and  good  food  are  furnished  at  a  cost  of  lay.  per  day  ; 
there  are  also  several  other  lodgings  in  the  town. 
Truth  compels  the  admission  that  Savana  la  Mar 
is  not  a  beautiful  place,  either  for  situation  or  architec- 
ture, as  compared  with  other  Jamaica  towns. 

The  town  of  Blue  Fields,  about  eight  miles  distant, 
is  worth  visiting,  as  the  site  of  Oristan,  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  also  as  the  home  of  Gosse,  the  great 
naturalist.  The  cost  of  conveyance  thither  is  is.  6d. 
per  mile.  Other  places  of.  interest  in  the  neighbor- 
hood are  Roaring  and  Amity  caves.  At  a  point  called 
Paul's  island  some  coolies  have  started  the  cultivation 
of  rice,  which  bids  fair  to  be  a  remunerative  venture. 
Westmoreland  produces  besides  this  sugar  and  rum, 
coffee,  spice,  logwood  and  some  fruit. 


ST.  ELIZABETH— THE  SANTA  CRUZ 
MOUNTAINS. 


LEAVING  Savana  la  Mar  our  road  keeps  near  the 
coast  through  the  southeastern  part  of  Westmoreland 
and  into  St.  Elizabeth  Parish  as  far  as  the  town  of 
Black  River.  Beyond  Bluefields  we  pass  through  the 
country  of  the  Surinamese  settlement.  Crossing  nu- 
merous streams,  and  journeying  through  a  fertile 
country  with  many  glimpses  of  distant  mountains  or 
of  the  nearer  ocean,  we  approached  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  important  of  Jamaica's  navigable  streams. 
The  Black  River  is  about  two  chains  in  width  near  its 
mouth,  where  the  town  is  built.  It  is  there  spanned  by 
an  iron  bridge,  that  was  erected  several  years  ago  at  a 
cost  of  £1700.  For  thirty  or  forty  miles  of  its  sinu- 
ous course,  as  it  winds  over  the  lowlands  and  between 
the  uncertain  margin  of  an  extensive  morass,  this  river 
floats  little  vessels  of  eight  or  ten  tons  burden,  which 
are  used  as  lighters  for  logwood,  thus  shipped  from  the 
interior.  There  is  in  the  town  of  Black  River  one 
long  central  street,  not  attractive  to  the  visitor.  Upon 
this  street  is  the  hotel.  We  looked  out  from  the 
hotel  at  the  "  Daisy "  lodgings  opposite  and  wished 
that  we  had  gone  there  :  but  perhaps,  after  all,  we 
were  as  well  off  a.  we  would  have  been  elsewhere  in 


St.  Elizabeth — The  Santa  Cruz  Mountains.         203 

the  place.  Of  the  "  cleanness,  civility  and  good  attend- 
ance "  promised  on  the  neatly  printed  card  of  the 
Waterloo  Hotel,  we  found  an  abundance  of  the  sec- 
ond item  and  a  moderate  allowance  of  the  others. 
Besides  the  "  Daisy/'  there  are  the  "  Britannia  "  and 
private  lodgings  kept  by  Mrs.  Allen.  The  cost  of 
lodging  and  board  is  from  los.  to  12s.  per  day,  which 
is  the  usual  rate  in  other  parts  of  Jamaica.  The  rule 
seems  to  be  that  at  the  best  places  one  is  charged  IDS. 
and  at  inferior  ones  12s. 

From  Black  River  the  road  winds  by  the  border  of 
a  wide  and  extensive  morass,  and  is  sometimes  sub- 
merged for  long  distances.  It  crosses  the  Y.  S.  River, 
upon  which  at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles  only,  are 
the  rather  famous  falls ;  and  after  passing  and  repas- 
sing  the  loops  and  twistings  of  the  Black  River,  begins 
to  mount  into  the  higher  land  towards  the  Santa 
Cruz  Mountains. 

The  Santa  Cruz  Mountains  of  the  Parish  of  St. 
Elizabeth  are  famous  as  a  health  resort,  though  not  so 
frequently  visited  as  the  region  of  St.  Thomas  ye 
East  because  of  their  less  accessible  location.  Here 
in  the  hottest  weather  the  nights  are  surprisingly  cool 
and  the  wind  at  times  blows  almost  a  gale,  while  with 
two  blankets  we  are  quite  comfortable  in  July.  Yet 
the  elevation  is  but  little  over  two  thousand  feet, 
and  the  most  desirable  points  can  be  reached  from 
Black  River  by  a  three  hours  drive. 

The  village  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  is  Lacovia. 
Here  the  roads  branch,  one  going  by  the  way  of  Santa 
Cruz  Square  towards  Mandeville,  and  the  other  into 


204  The  New  Jamaica. 

the  Nassau  Mountains.  At  Santa  Cruz  Square, 
a  cool  and  pleasant  village,  there  are  lodgings  to  be 
obtained  at  a  cottage  near  the  road,  and  simple  good 
fare  is  offered.  Our  Mecca  is  Malvern  Hill,  to  reach 
which  we  must  give  the  horses  one  of  the  hardest 
day's  pulls  they  have  yet  had :  but  if  horse  kind  enjoy 
those  luxuries  of  life,  the  influences  of  air  and  sur- 
roundings, as  human  kind  do,  they  were  repaid  for 
their  work. 

Malvern  Hill  overlooks  sixty  or  eighty  miles  of 
coast.  One  can  stand  on  the  breezy  piazza  of  Mrs. 
Lawrence's  pleasant  home,  where  well  accredited  vis- 
itors are  entertained  at  moderate  price,  and  overlook 
the  region  from  Savana  la  Mar  to  the  Pedro  Plains. 
It  is  at  two  thousand  three  hundred  feet  elevation, 
but  its  average  temperature  is  from  70°  to  76°  in  day- 
time and  60°  to  66°  at  night.  The  wind  blows 
strongly  always.  At  night,  when  one  is  safely  shel- 
tered and  blanketed  in  the  well-built  house,  its  surf- 
like  roar  is  pleasant.  The  inland  view  is  almost  equal 
to  that  of  the  coast,  embracing  as  it  does  a  parallel 
ridge.  Malvern  is  eight  miles  from  Santa  Cruz 
Square,  forty  miles  from  Porus,  and  ninety  from  King- 
ston. The  shortest  way  to  reach  this  point  from 
Kingston  is  by  coastal  steamer  to  Black  River,  four- 
teen miles  away,  and  then  by  carriage  or  in  the  saddle 
from  the  latter  place.  A  double-seated  "  omnibus  " 
from  Black  River  to  Malvern  Hill  will  cost  365.  ster- 
ling ;  a  single  buggy  about  los.  less.  Saddle  ponies 
cost  less. 

There  is  not  space  to  dwell  upon  the  beauty  of  the 


St.  Elizabeth — The  Santa  Cruz  Mountains.        205 

lover's  leap  at  the  seaward  end  of  the  Santa  Cruz 
Mountains,  or  of  the  great  Pedro  Bluff,  that  juts  out 
boldly  into  the  sea  but  a  little  way  to  the  westward. 
We  must  not  linger  along  the  intricacies  of  roads  and 


cross  roads  in  which  we  were  lost  in  trying  a  short 
cut  to  the  main  highway,  nor  rest  after  our  tramp 
up  "  Seven  Mile  Hill,"  which  we  take  partly  because 
it  is  a  pleasant  day  for  walking  and  our  legs  are 
cramped  with  weeks  of  driving,  and  partly  because  "  a 
merciful  man  is  merciful  to  his  beast."  We  solace 
ourselves  with  a  "  Ripley  "  pineapple  and  push  on 
towards  Mandeville. 

For  many  years  the  hill-region  or  plateau  of  upper 
Manchester  has  had  a  widespread  reputation  as  a 
sanitarium.  The  Rev.  H.  Walder,  a  Moravian  mission- 
ary who  has  had  a  wide  opportunity  to  form  an  opin- 
ion, considers  this  region  quite  able  to  bear  comparison 
with  the  healthiest  regions  in  England  or  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe.  He  compares  it  favorably  \vith  the 
Canton  Zurich,  Switzerland,  quoting  his  experience 
with  the  small  congregation  at  Mizpah.  An  average 


206  The  New  Jamaica. 

membership  of  473  yielded  but  60  deaths  in  twelve 
years,  and  during  that  same  period  there  were  241 
baptisms  of  infants.  This  would  seem  to  indicate  a 
birth-rate  four  times  as  great  as  the  death-rate.  Of  the 
60  whose  deaths  were  recorded,  one  was  one  hundred 
years  old,  seven  between  eighty  and  ninety,  seventeen 
had  passed  seventy  years,  six  were  over  sixty,  four 
died  from  accidents  and  ten  as  infants.  Thus,  allow- 
ing for  accidents  and  the  deaths  of  infants,  over  67 
per  cent,  lived  to  be  over  sixty  and  over  54  per  cent, 
passed  man's  allotted  three-score  years  and  ten. 
Truly  a  most  wonderful  record  ;  all  the  more  wonder- 
ful when  we  consider  Mr.  Walder's  closing  words ; 
"  Taking  furthermore  into  consideration  the  innumer- 
able wettings  which  the  generality  of  the  people  are 
exposed  to,  without  even  being  able  to  put  on  a  dry 
suit,  and,  in  addition,  the  very  great  defects  in  the 
homes  of  the  peasantry,  in  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  the  above  facts  speak  loudly  in 
praise  of  the  climate  in  these  districts." 


THE  HOME  STRETCH. 


WE  drove  into  Mandeville  by  a  road  that  showed 
many  signs  of  contented  unthrift.  There  were  miles 
of  fertile  country,  an  exquisite  land  to  travel  through, 
but  inadequate  cultivation  on  every  side. 

Finally  the  houses  became  more  numerous  and 
much  better  than  those  we  had  been  accustomed  to 
seeing  along  the  road,  and  we  drove  into  a  trim  open 
square.  In  the  centre  of  the  square,  with  an  acre  or 
two  of  grassy  common  surrounding  it,  stands  the  court- 
house. At  its  right  is  a  row  of  shops  and  other  build- 
ings. At  the  side  on  which  we  enter,  facing  the  court- 
house, is  the  church  and  several  dwellings.  On  the 
left  and  on  the  rear  are  other  dwellings,  shops  and 
offices.  In  that  direction  are  also  the  hotel  and  one 
or  two  lodgings.  Not  far  away  is  the  house  kept  by 
Miss  Roy,  where  Mr.  Anthony  Froude  sojourned  during 
his  short  stay  here.  His  praise  of  her  coffee  has  made 
it  famous.  We  went  however  down  the  little  hill  to 
the  hotel,  Brooks',  where  we  had  no  cause  to  complain 
either  of  lodging,  fare  or  attendance. 

Mandeville,  on  its  table  land,  is  as  charming  a  place 
to  the  eye  as  it  is  beneficial  to  the  sense.  Its  general 
aspect  is  one  of  extreme  neatness  and  prosperity, — and 
this  in  spite  of  the  clay  mud  which  we  found  omni- 


208  The  New  Jamaica. 

present,  mud  that  was  like  paste,  which  clung  in 
great  yellow  clogs  to  the  shoes  of  whoever  walked 
abroad.  But  who  cares  for  mud  in  a  climate  like 
that? 

There  are  many  points  of  similarity  between  most 
Jamaican  towns,  usually  in  the  arrangement  of  streets 
and  dwellings,  and  almost  invariably  in  some  sugges- 
tion of  a  historic  flavor.  But  Mandeville,  like  Browns- 
town,  seems  new.  It  is  not  aggressive  and  unpleasant 
newness,  but  a  neat  and  engaging  condition  of  youth  ; 
youth  with  plenty  of  color  and  tone. 

Our  time  and  space  are  unfortunately  limited  :  an 
unfortunate  fact,  for  we  are  in  a  country  where  a  limit 
is  the  thing  least  to  be  desired;  there  one  should  be 
allowed  by  Providence  to  roam  on  forever  to  study 
and  to  enjoy. 

We  are  in  our  places  again,  in  the  trap  that  has 
carried  us  well  for  over  four  hundred  miles  (may  the 
Wagonette  Company's  shade  never  grow  less),  and 
Richard, — whose  arrivals  and  departures  are  a  matter 
of  gaping  wonder  to  the  black  people  by  the  way, — 
takes  the  road  with  much  whip-snapping.  Out  of 
sight  of  the  houses  of  Mandeville  our  pace  slackens 
into  a  steady  jog,  and  we  draw  into  a  section  with 
which  our  railway  trips  have  made  us  familiar.  This 
is  the  region  of  the  Mandeville  orange,  well  known  in 
Northern  markets  from  its  size  and  flavor.  The  road 
is  a  more  level  one,  with  interesting  features,  but  noth- 
ing as  startling  as  we  found  at  points  along  the  North- 
ern side.  All  this  part  of  the  country  is  the  best 
horse  raising  land  on  the  island. 


The  Home  Stretch.  209 

The  little  town  of  Porus,  the  present  lower  railway 
terminus,  is  reached  and  passed.  There  is  nothing 
here  to  entice  us  to  linger  now,  though  the  natural 
beauty  of  the  surroundings  of  the  busy  and  populous 
little  place  induce  another  visit.  At  May  Pen  we 
cross  its  handsome  three  truss  iron  bridge  and  wonder 
at  the  want  of  precaution  that  will  permit  the  railway 
trains  and  a  constant  line  of  vehicles  and  foot  pas- 
sengers to  cross  in  common  on  the  same  structure. 

Thence  to  Old  Harbor ;  or  rather  to  the  real  town 
and  railway  station,  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
original  village  of  cabins  and  small  houses  which  bears 
the  name.  At  Spanish  Town,  from  Mrs.  Wilson's  very 
pleasant  lodgings,  another  stroll  down  the  Rio  Cobre 
renewed  all  the  fascination  of  that  beautiful  stream. 
Its  clear,  ever  varying  water,  shadowed  by  magnificent 
trees,  is  a  perpetual  delight. 

The  road  to  Kingston  is  bright  with  patches  of 
cultivation  and  more  and  more  filled  with  people  as 
one  approaches  the  metropolis.  The  great  cotton  tree 
known  as  Tom  Cringle's  tree  spreads  its  giant  arms 
over  the  road  and  challenges  attention;  but  Jamaica 
has  shown  us,  on  its  mountains  and  by-roads  many  a 
finer  trunk  and  broader,  loftier  expanse  of  foliage  than 
this.  We  have  seen  buttressed  roots  that  would  have 
walled  a  dozen  cabins  and  a  spread  of  foliage  fit  to 
shade  a  herd  of  a  hundred  grazing  cattle. 

Finally  we  approach  Half-way  Tree,  turn  out 
towards  Constant  Spring  Hotel  and  ere  long  have 
washed  off  the  dust  of  travel  and  are  answering  ques- 
tions. 


2 1  o  The  New  Jamaica. 

"  What  of  the  island  ?  does  it  realize  expectations  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  exceeds  it." 

"  And  how  about  the  living?  " 

The  answer  is  given  to  the  reader  in  the  preceding 
chapters.  He  who  follows  our  itinerary  will  neither 
lack  by  the  way  nor  suffer  on  his  return. 

A  number  of  points,  not  included  in  the  accounts 
of  our  various  trips,  have  more  or  less  of  interest  attach- 
ing to  them,  in  most  cases  from  some  one  or  two  pecul- 
iarities of  natural  position  or  advantage. 

Among  these  are  Milk  River,  noted  for  its  bath  of 
curative  water,  on  the  coast  of  Clarendon  ;  Morant 
Point,  with  its  lighthouse,  in  St.  Thomas  ye  East ; 
and  several  interior  points  out  of  the  ordinary  lines  of 
travel. 

The  unsettled  Cockpit  Country  and  Black  Lands  in 
St.  James  and  Trelawney  Parishes  are  full  of  interest 
and  well  worth  exploration.  The  mystery  of  lost 
rivers,  of  cavernous  hills,  of  wild,  weird  forest  tangles, 
of  mysterious  sink  holes  and  sudden  cliffs,  lure  one  to 
adventure.  North  of  the  Surinamese  settlement, 
which  we  passed  in  Westmoreland,  where  the  Dutch 
Colonists  set  an  example  of  industry  to  the  other  set- 
tlers two  hundred  years  ago,  there  is  a  fertile  country 
dotted  with  villages  and  estates. 

Bull  Head,  Chapelton  and  the  district  of  Vere  in 
Clarendon  and  Mount  Diabolo,  above  St.  Thomas-in- 
the-Valer  all  invite  the  traveller.  We  have  not  climbed 
the  John  Crow  Hills  together  to  wonder  at  the  re- 
cently discovered  lake  or  morass  at  the  summit  of  the 
ridge.  We  feel  that  we  have  neglected  Buff  Bay  and 


The  Home  Stretch.  211 

have  not  done  justice  to   Luidas  Vale.     We  hope  to 
be  forgiven  for  our  delinquencies. 

The  Hotels  law  of  1890  insures  the  presence  in  many 
of  the  pleasantest  parts  of  the  island,  of  modern  hotels 
largely  managed  according  to  the  methods  usual  in 
the  United  States.  In  other  localities  very  fair  lodg- 
ing or  boarding  houses  may  be  found,  and  in  all  of 
these  the  degree  of  comfort  desired  can  nearly  always 
be  had  for  the  asking,  for  the  Jamaica  landlord — or 
landlady  more  often — is  full  of  the  desire  to  make  life 
comfortable  for  guests. 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICA- 
TION. 


IN  writing  of  the  pleasures,  attractions  and  notable 
features  of  any  country,  he  who  does  not  also  inform 
his  reader  how  these  advantages  may  be  shared,  is  like 
one  who  exhibits  a  treasure  chest  and  afterwards  re- 
turns the  key  to  his  own  pocket.  It  is,  at  best,  an  un- 
satisfactory performance. 

It  is  within  the  scope  of  the  present  work  to  publish 
minute  information  regarding  the  means  provided  for 
travel  and  communication  between  Jamaica  and  the 
American  Continent. 

We  found,  when  contemplating  a  visit  to  the  West 
Indies  several  years  ago,  a  scarcity  of  information, 
which,  considering  the  distance,  was  almost  prohibi- 
tory. At  last,  when  nearly  ready  to  abandon  the 
quest,  we  received  a  copy  of  the  Atlas  hand-book,  then 
just  published,  which  removed  much  of  the  difficulty. 

Perhaps  it  is  because  of  that  association  and  the 
pleasant  experience  of  a  first  voyage  that  we  begin 
our  chapter  on  the  means  of  communication  with  an 
account  of  the  Atlas  line.  There  is  also  another 
reason,  however,  and  a  better,  which  is,  that  the  oldest 
and  best  line  running  from  New  York  to  Kingston  is 
the  one  which  flies  the  familiar  blue  flag  with  its 
white-centered  red  cross. 


Transportation  and  Communication.  213 

The  company  employs  a  fleet  of  twelve  large  iron 
steamships,  of  which  several  of  the  best  carry  passen 
gers  and  freight  on  the  Jamaica  route.  The  Adiron- 
dack, the  last  and  largest  of  the  fleet,  with  its 
comfortable  arrangements  and  latest  appliances  of 
science  ;  the  Alvo,  stanch  'and  steady  as  a  church, 
ample  as  to  state-rooms  and  satisfactory  en  cuisine ; 
the  AtkoSj  Ailser,  and  Alenc,  all  able  boats  and  com- 
fortable carriers,  are  constantly  on  the  way  to  and 
from  the  island.  All  of  these  vessels  are  well  officered, 
and  offer  every  inducement  in  the  way  of  comfort  and 
good  service  to  the  traveller.  The  advantage  of  hav- 
ing the  saloon  on  deck  has  been  often  gratefully  com- 
mented on  by  passengers  who  are  subject  to  the 
discomfort  of  mat  de  mcr,  and  would  find  it  as  impossi- 
ble to  dine  in  an  apartment  below  deck  as  it  is  easy  to 
do  so  in  comfort  above. 

The  trip  to  Jamaica  takes  five  and  a-half  days ;  half 
of  that  time  being  spent  on  pleasant  sub-tropical 
waters,  through  the  deep,  constant  blue  of  the  open 
ocean,  or  among  the  turquoise  and  emerald  hues  of 
the  Bahama  waters.  One  embarks  at  Pier  No.  55, 
(New)  North  River,  foot  of  Twenty-Fifth  Street, 
whence  an  Atlas  boat  leaves  every  Saturday  for 
Jamaica.  In  returning,  the  vessels  leave  Kingston  on 
alternate  Thursdays.  By  regular  arrangement  for 
round  trip  or  excursion  tickets,  either  the  direct  travel 
to  and  from  the  island  may  be  enjoyed,  or  the  voyage 
extended  to  include  the  circumnavigation  of  Jamaica, 
or  a  run  over  to  Haiti,  or  even  the  interesting  ports  of 
Central  America  may  be  visited. 


214  The  New  Jamaica. 

Lately  a  regular  steamer,  the  Arden,  has  been  put 
on  the  Haitian  route,  stopping  at  various  ports  and 
running  to  Port  au  Prince.  The  Adula  makes  the 
coastal  trip,  stopping  at  all  the  principal  insular  ports. 
This  is  not  only  a  delightful  and  instructive  addition 
to  the  itinerancy  of  visitors  and  vacationists,  but  one  of 
the  best  facilities  afforded  to  business  travellers,  and 
an  outing  often,  enjoyed  by  Jamaicans.  This  coast- 
wise steamer  sails  from  Kingston  every  ten  days, 
alternately  to  the  eastward  and  westward.  Passen- 
gers may  also  connect,  by  excursion  routes,  with  all 
the  best  European  lines. 

But  it  is  not  only  to  the  travelling  public  that 
the  Atlas  line  affords  peculiar  advantages.  Shippers 
find  the  convenience  of  transhipment  to  the  coasting 
steamer  in  Jamaica,  or  enjoy  the  facility  of  having  the 
port  of  destination  on  through  bills  of  lading  to  Eu- 
rope changed,  or  goods  stopped  and  delivered  in  New 
York,  if  the  company  receive  sufficient  notice.  Cargo 
may  also  be  transhipped  at  Kingston  to  the  Royal 
Mail  packets,  through  bills  of  lading  being  issued  by 
the  Atlas  Co.,  in  conjunction  with  the  Royal  Mail  Co. 

The  steamers  of  the  Honduras  and  Central  Ameri- 
can S.  S.  Co.,  leave  New  York  every  three  weeks, 
making  stop  first  at  Port  Antonio  and  then  at  Kings- 
ton, en  route  for  Central  America.  They  are  about 
1,700  tons  register  and  are  fitted  to  carry  passengers. 

We  have  spoken  in  another  connection  of  the 
steamers  of  Messrs.  E.  J.  Wessels  &  Co's  line. 
Besides  being  a  buyer  and  shipper  of  island  produce 
this  company  has  provided  excellent  passenger  accom- 


Transportation  and  Communication.  215 

modations  on  its  fast  steamers.  These  are,  like  those 
of  the  Atlas  boats,  above  the  upper  deck.  The  vessels 
sail  from  the  north  side  of  Jamaica  (St.  Ann's  Bay) 
to  New  York,  twice  a  week. 

The  Royal  Mail  Steam  Packet  Go's,  vessels  carry 
freight,  mail  and  passengers  to  and  from  Southamp- 
ton, via  Barbadoes.  The  Clyde  Line  to  Glasgow 
affords  a  monthly  steamer.  Its  new  steamship,  the 
"  Strathyre,"  is  especially  well  noticed. 

J.  E.  Kerr  &  Co.  are  running  good  steamers  to  the 
United  States  from  the  North  Side,  as  is  also  the 
Boston  Fruit  Company,  whose  Jamaican  headquarters 
at  Port  Antonio  we  have  already  described. 

There  is  a  strong  probability  of  the  immediate 
establishment  of  a  line  of  small  but  fast  and  sea- 
worthy steamers  to  run  between  Galveston,  Texas,  and 
Jamaica.  The  line  was  organized  last  summer  with 
the  purpose  of  visiting  Central  and  South  American 
ports,  taking  Kingston,  Jajnaica,  into  the  scheme. 

A  still  more  recent  mode  of  conveyance,  especially 
desirable  for  those  who  wish  to  visit  the  Antilles,  yet 
avoid  the  discomforts  of  a  long  sea  voyage,  is  that 
included  in  the  Plant  system.  This  provides  steam 
communication  with  our  island  by  way  of  Tampa, 
Florida.  This  will  enable  the  traveller  to  economize 
both  time,  money  and  strength,  if  he  is  one  of  the 
unfortunate  ones  to  whom  a  period  of  five  or  six  days 
on  the  ocean  is  less  than  a  boon.  The  first  steamer  of 
this  service  was  announced  for  October,  1890.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  here  further  details.  During  the 
winter  of  1890-91  the  Tamp'i  steamers  will  run  fort- 


216  The  New  Jamaica. 

nightly,  or  possibly  weekly,  and  their  continuance 
beyond  that  season  will  depend  entirely  upon  the 
success  of  the  experiment. 

We  have  left  to  the  last  one  of  the  most  important 
lines  now  engaged  in  the  transportation  of  passengers 
and  freight  to  Jamaica.  This  is  the  Anchor  Line, 
whose  steamers  are  now  plying  between  New  York 
and  Jamaica. 

On  the  third  day  of  November,  1888,  the  Anchor 
Line  of  Steamships,  whose  transatlantic  vessels  are  so 
well  known  to  the  world  of  travelling  people,  made  its 
first  venture  in  this  field.  The  Steamship  Dorian, 
built  for  the  Mediterranean  fruit  trade,  was  put  on 
the  Jamaica  route  and  sent  to  Kingston,  whence  she 
visited  all  the  principal  island  ports  and  returned 
straight  from  Jamaica  to  New  York.  The  Dorian  was 
shortly  followed  by  the  Tyrian,  also  designed  for  the 
Mediterranean  trade,  and  these  vessels  have  continued 
to  ply  regularly  between  the' island  and  New  York. 

Their  trips  are  made  fortnightly.  They  are  mail  car- 
riers, and  the  first  mentioned,  the  Dorian,  is  fitted  with 
passenger  accommodations,  although  this  line  does 
not  make  a  point  of  passenger  service. 

The  present  accommodation  of  the  Dorian  is  for 
about  twelve  first-class  passengers.  Besides  the  ves- 
sels described,  the  steamers  Sidonian  and  Acadia  occa- 
sionally make  the  Jamaica  trip,  but  not  regularly. 

The  principal  business  of  the  Anchor  Line  in 
Jamaica  at  present  is  the  shipment  of  fruit  and  other 
cargo.  As  stated,  its  route  is  a  direct  one  to  and  from 
Jamaica.  Stopping  at  Kingston  first  the  steamers  land 


Transportation  and  Communication.  217 

and  take  freight  at  Port  Morant,  Black  River,  Savana 
la  Mar,  Montego  Bay  and  Lucea,  St.  Ann's  Bay,  Fal- 
mouth,  Port  Maria,  etc.,  and  thence  at  once  to  New 
York.  To  shippers  the  company  offers  the  induce- 
ment of  through  bills  of  lading,  via  New  York,  to 
principal  European  ports,  transhipping  in  their  own 
vessels. 

It  is  proposed  to  add  shortly  passenger  steamers, 
especially  designed  for  the  work,  to  those  already  in 
use. 

We  should  add  a  few  more  explicit  words  regarding 
inland  travel  in  the  island,  giving  a  resume  of  informa- 
tion already  detailed. 

Besides  the  railway,  there  is  a  mail  coach  which 
communicates  with  all  the  principal  towns  and  affords 
means  of  travel  usually  three  times  a  week,  at  rates 
which  are  less  than  those  of  carriage  hire.  From  the 
Wagonette  Company,  in  Kingston,  one  of  whose  con- 
veyances we  used  in  our  trip  '  round  the  island,  can  be 
procured  good  horses,  wagonettes  and  buggies.  As  to 
its  drivers, — you  have  already  made  Richard  Davis's 
acquaintance.  Its  charges  are  not  materially  different 
from  those  of  Bolton  and  other  livery  stable  keepers. 
£\  per  day  is  the  usual  rate  for  a  double  trap  retained 
for  any  length  of  time,  though  when  taken  for  a  single 
day  or  short  trip  the  rates  are  of  course  much  higher. 
In  Kingston  the  average  price  is  6d.  a  mile  :  for  a  day 
30^.  to  355".  for  busses.  In  Hanover,  Clarendon,  St. 
Catherine,  Portland  or  St.  Mary  there"  are  no  livery 
stable  keepers.  Good  saddle  ponies  are  hard  to  get. 

At  Savana  la  Mar  J.  B.  Jones   charges  at  the  rate 


218  The  New  Jamaica. 

of  is.  6d.  per  mile.  Fair  conveyances  can  be  obtained 
in  Porus,  Mandeville,  Falmouth,  Brownstawn,  St. 
Anns,  etc.  At  Gordontown,  Bolton  keeps  good 
saddle  horses  for  mountain  riding. 

The  tram  cars  run  from  Kingston  to  Halfway  Tree 
and  Constant  Spring  carrying  passengers  at  a  charge  of 
2d.  a  mile. 


POSTAL  AND  TELEGRAPH  FACILITIES. 


IN  sending  letters,  postal  cards,  etc.,  from  point  to 
point  in  the  island  of  Jamaica,  or  abroad,  the  rates  of 
postage  charged  are  as  follows : 

LOCAL. 

Letters  :  for  each  half  ounce,  .         One  penny. 

Post  cards:  (inland  only),  .              Halfpenny. 

Post  cards :  reply  prepaid,  .         One  penny. 

Newspapers,  } 

Current  prices,                 .  V  Halfpenny. 

Book  packets  (for  each  two  ounces),  J 

Parcels  (for  each  two  ounces)  .         One  penny. 

Registration  fee,          .         .  .             Fourpence. 

FOREIGN  LETTERS. 

Not  exceeding  half  an  ounce,  twopence  halfpenny. 
Not  exceeding  one  ounce  fivepence. 

For  each  additional  ounce,  twopence  halfpenny. 

A  book  packet  may  not  exceed  3  Ibs.  in  weight. 
Packets  containing  value  must  be  registered,  failing 
which  they  are  liable  to  a  surcharge  equal  to  double 
the  registration  fee.  Parcels  containing  articles  valued 
at  above  £50  will  not  be  accepted  for  transmission  by 


220 


The  New  Jamaica. 


post ;  otherwise  parcels  under  1 1  Ibs.  may  be  sent  to 
the  United  Kingdom  or  the  United  States  of  America, 
and  under  7  Ibs.  via  Great  Britain  to  all  countries 
included  in  the  postal  union. 

Money  orders  are  subject  to  the  following  charges: 


COMMISSION  ON  AN  ORDER. 

WHERE  PAYABLE. 

bO 
B 

siSvj 

s?64 

s5^4 

O  ^  c^ 

OJ    O    bC 

<u  o  bo 

tu  ^ 

fcgS* 

% 

in 

III 

Jin 

rt   Q 

<  rt  s 

In   the   United  Kingdom  and  for  through 

s. 

rf 

^ 

rf 

Money  Orders  

I 

6 

2 

•5 

•J 

In  the  United  States  of  America 

9 

I 

6 

2 

3 

3 

. 

In  Canada 

2 

In  British  Guiana  and  Barbadoes  and  Lee- 

ward Islands 

• 

6 

I 

• 

I 

6 

2 

• 

On  the  last  day  for  issuing  Money  Orders  by  each 
mail  an  extra  commission  of  sixpence  on  each  order 
will  be  charged. 

With  all  first-class  foreign  powers,  with  the  depend- 
encies of  Great  Britain  and  with  the  United  States 
Money  Order  exchange  has  been  authorized. 

The  telegraph  system  now  in  operation  on  the 
island  was  established  in  1879.  ^  embraces  all 
principal  towns  and  villages  at  a  uniform  charge  of 
is.  for  the  first  twenty  words  and  ^d.  for  every  addi- 
tional five  words.  The  telegraph  is  a  branch  of  the 


Postal  and  Telegraph  Facilities.  221 

P.  O.  department.  Jamaica,  in  common  with  Barba- 
does,  Trinidad,  the  Leeward  islands,  the  Windward 
islands  and  Demerara  pays  an  annual  subsidy  to  the 
West  India  and  Panama  Telegraph  Company  (cable) 
according  to  the  terms  of  an  agreement  made  in  1879, 
by  which  the  cable  company  furnishes  daily  a  sum- 
mary of  the  world's  news  and  prices  current  for  the 
general  benefit  of  the  public.  The  tariffs  for  messages 
to  North  America  and  Europe,  via  Havana  are  from 
4^.  \od.  to  6s.  9^.  per  word  ;  the  lowest  rate  being  to 
Key  West,  Fla.  Communication  by  this  channel  is 
open  also  to  the  other  West  India  islands. 


PUBLIC  WORKS. 


UNDER  the  head  of  public  works  are  included  main 
roads  and  bridges,  buildings  belonging  to  the  govern- 
ment, lands,  canals,  gardens  and  light-houses. 

For  the  first,  few  countries  in  the  Western  Hemi- 
sphere can  boast  as  good  roads  as  Jamaica  can.  They 
were  almost  the  first  object  of  legislative  care,  as  early 
as  1 68 1.  Nearly  thirty  years  ago  they  were  removed 
from  parochial  control  and  assumed  by  the  govern- 
ment. The  main  roads  are  the  coast  road,  now  almost 
continuous,  which  begins  at  Kingston  as  the  Wind- 
ward road,  leaves  the  shore  in  a  few  places,  especially 
in  the  east  and  southeast,  but  follows  generally  the 
outline  of  the  island ;  the  new  inland  road  from  Kings- 
ton to  Annotto  Bay ;  the  Spanish  Town  and  St. 
Ann's  Bay  road,  with  its  branches  to  Port  Maria, 
Ocho  Rios  and  Falmouth  ;  the  upper  road  in  Man- 
chester and  St.  Elizabeth,  and  the  short  cut  from 
Lucea  to  Savana  la  Mar.  There  is  continual  en- 
larging, widening  and  repairing  of  highways,  repairing 
and  building  culverts,  and  retaining  walls  and  bridges ; 
yet  it  is  doubtful  if  the  cost  per  annum  for  main- 
tenance, repairs  and  new  work  throughout  the  whole 
island  will  average  over  £50  per  mile.  The  best  road 
that  we  found  in  Jamaica  was  that  between  Morant 


Public  Works,  223 

and  a  point  beyond  Bath.  The  total  absence  of  frost 
is  a  saving  to  the  public  works  department.  But 
occasionally  a  heavy  storm,  such  as  that  which  oc- 
curred in  i885,*does  incalculable  damage  in  a  few 
hours. 

The  finest  bridge  on  the  island  is  that  over  the  Dry 
River.  It  was  built  in  1874  at  a  cost  of  ;£  16,901. 
This  structure  is  of  iron,  and  consists  of  three  spans, 
the  centre  one  being  150  feet  in  the  clear.  Its  girders 
are  40  feet  above  the  river  bed,  which  is  usually  dry, 
though  the  water  sometimes  reaches  a  height  of  35  feet 
in  a  flood.  The  Annotto  Bay,  Black  River,  Flint  River, 
Ocho  Rios,  Falmouth,  Montego  Bay  and  old  Harbor 
bridges  are  among  the  most  important  of  these  works. 
There  are  also  new  bridges  in  St.  Mary,  Portland  and 
St.  Thomas,  some  of  them  still  in  process  of  construc- 
tion. 

The  work  on  these  roads  and  bridges  is  done  in  the 
most  thorough  and  business-like  manner. 

Public  buildings  comprise  churches,  certain  chapels, 
hospitals,  and  schools,  and  all  courts  and  government 
offices,  prisons,  reformatories,,  police  stations,  asylums, 
etc.,  besides  the  Kingston  Library,  the  Printing  Estab- 
lishment, and  some  few  others. 

The  Church  of  England  receives  governmental  sup- 
port throughout  the  island.  Every  town  of  any  im- 
portance has  its  court-house,  jail  or  police  station, 
and  hospital.  These  buildings  are  substantially  built, 
generally  of  stone  or  iron.  The  prisons  are  worth 
visiting.  Their  management  is  usually  praiseworthy. 
Everything  is  orderly,  clean  and  comfortable  as  a  rule. 


224  The  New  Jamaica. 

Indeed  the  care  bestowed  upon  prisoners,  inmates  and 
patients  in  the  various  classes  of  institutions  men- 
tioned, the  enforcement  of  sanitary  regulations  and 
the  quality  of  food  provided  all  give-  evidence  of  the 
most  efficient  departmental  care. 

The  most  important  canal  work  ever  attempted  in 
the  country  is  that  in  St.  Catherine,  the  Rio  Cobre 
irrigation  system,  which  we  have  spoken  of  in  another 
chapter.  This  work  was  completed  in  1876.  The 
head  works  are  situated  four  and  a  half  miles  above 
Spanish  Town.  They  consist  of  a  weir  for  raising  the 
level  of  the  river  and  sluices  for  admitting  water  into 
the  canal.  The  crest  of  the  weir  is  30  feet  above  the 
bed  of  the  river,  and  it  has  a  clear  overfall  of  287  feet. 
The  average  flow  is  45,000  cubic  yards  per  hour.  The 
canal  required  bridges,  aqueducts,  walls  and  culverts 
in  its  construction.  An  iron  pipe  (36  inch)  syphon,  6 
chains  long,  carries  the  water  beneath  the  Rio  Cobre 
at  one  place.  It  has  a  total  length  of  nearly  forty 
miles. 

Of  gardens  Jamaica  has  a  rich  share.  The  Castle- 
ton  garden  we  have  seen  on  the  road  from  Constant 
Spring  and  Stony  Hill  to  Annotto  Bay.  That  of 
Bath  has  been  practically  abandoned,  Hope  taking  its 
place  in  a  large  measure.  The  difficulty  with  the 
Bath  garden  was  its  complete  inundation  at  certain 
times.  The  cinchona  plantations  comprise  143  acres  in 
cinchona,  and  about  seven  in  tea  and  nurseries  of  tim- 
ber and  shade  trees,  which  are  distributed  for  reforest- 
ing. These  plantations  are  twenty  miles  or  more  from 
Kingston,  on  the  slopes  of  the  Blue  Mountains  in  St. 


Public  Works.  225 

Andrew's.  The  Hope  nurseries  are  on  the  Gordon- 
town  road,  about  five  miles  from  Kingston.  New 
varieties  of  fruit  and  shade  trees,  timber,  cane,  etc., 
are  raised  here.  The  annual  mean  temperature  is 
77.8°  Far.,  and  the  rainfall  averages  50.19  inch  per 
annum. 

The  King's  House  gardens  and  grounds,  the  Palisa- 
does  Plantations  and  the  Kingston  Parade  Garden  are 
respectively  devoted  to  economic  and  fruit  trees,  and 
rare  flowering  plants,  to  cocoanuts,  fibre  plants,  etc. ; 
and  to  shade  and  ornamental  growths.  It  is  largely 
through  these  experimental  grounds  and  cultivations, 
often  kept  up  at  great  cost,  that  Jamaica  has  become 
the  garden  spot  it  is  to-day.  Since  1774  the  work  has 
been  constantly  increasing  in  value  and  importance. 
There  are  upwards  of  forty  varieties  of  cane,  many  of 
vTiich  have  been  first  tried  in  the  gardens,  and  the 
same  is  true  of  very  many  others  of  the  most  valuable 
products.  Probably  two-thirds  of  the  fruit,  nuts, 
choice  woods  and  economic  or  medicinal  plants  now 
grown  in  Jamaica  were  introduced  from  foreign 
count  ies. 

The  light-houses  are  at  Morant  Point,  Plumb  Point 
and  Folly  Point.  The  first  is  the  beacon  that  greets 
the  stranger  who  approaches  Jamaica  by  the  usual 
course,  and  lights  him  on  his  way  when  he  is  depart- 
ing. The  second  is  the  light  whose  faithful  ray  shines 
like  a  star  across  the  palisadoes  and  the  harbor  to 
Kingston. 


GOVERNMENT  REVENUE  AND  THE  CUS- 
TOM HOUSE. 


THE  revenue  of  the  government  is  from  the  follow- 
ing sources :  admeasurers'  fees,  warehousing,  wharf- 
age, import  and  export  duties,  light-house  dues,  rum 
duties,  licenses,  pilot  fees,  stamps,  property  taxes, 
general  internal  taxes,  which  include  market  fees  and 
petty  taxes  of  various  kinds. 

We  have  not  space  to  enumerate  the  articles  which 
are  dutiable,  nor  those  which  are  on  the  free  list. 
Broadly  it  may  be  stated  that  food  supplies,  with  few 
exceptions  ;  all  live  stock  except  asses ;  wood  and  lum- 
ber ;  clothing  and  furniture  ;  spirits,  wines,  etc.,  are  sub- 
ject to  import  duty  either  specific  or  advalorum.  But 
mills  and  machinery  or  parts  of  the  same  ;  tools  and 
implements  used  in  the  trades  or  in  agriculture;  most 
raw  material  for  manufacture,  etc. ;  books  and  works 
of  art,  are  upon  the  free  list.  Sugar,  rum,  coffee,  log- 
wood and  other  valuable  woods  are  subject  to  a  small 
export  tariff. 

The  regulations  governing  the  inspection  of  bag- 
gage at  the  custom-house  are  as  follows  : 

"  On  the  arrival  of  each  steamer  alongside  the  wharf, 
passengers'  luggage  is  removed  by  the  company's  ser- 
vants, to  the  baggage  room  or  floor  for  examination, 


Government  Revenue  and  the  Custom  House.        227 

free  of  charge.  The  customs  are  not  responsible  for 
lost  luggage  except  it  be  removed  to  the  Queen's 
warehouse.  If  passengers  have  any  tobacco,  gold  or 
silver  plate,  wine,  spirits  of  any  kind,  or  any  articles 
other  than  for  their  own  personal  use,  it  is  necessary 
that  they  should  declare  the  fact  previously  to  the 
examination  of  their  luggage.  If  this  be  neglected 
and  any  of  the  above  mentioned  articles  are  found, 
visitors  may  be  subjected  to  the  inconvenience  of  a 
thorough  examination  and  the  possible  detention  of 
all  their  baggage.  The  importation  of  merchandise 
with  baggage  is  strictly  prohibited." 


EXCHANGE,  COINS,  ETC. 


THE  Bank  of  Nova  Scotia  will  buy  and  sell  ex- 
change on  United  States  and  Canada  at  rates  gov- 
erned by  New  York  rates  for  sterling  exchange. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  gold  and  silver  coins 
in  use  and  recognized  in  Jamaica  : 


GOLD. 


Doubloons —                       £  s.  d. 
Old  Mexican  average. .  340 

Columbian 3  o  O 

Aliquot  parts  in    pro- 
don. 

Sovereigns — 

English  and  Australians  I  o  o 

Half-Sovereign  ditto.,  o  IO  O 

American — 

Double   Eagle 4  2  o 

Single  ditto 2  I  O 

Half  ditto..    I  o  6 

Quarter  ditto o  10  3 

Dollar    o  4  I 


SILVER. 


English —  £  s.  d. 

Crown o  5  o 

Dollar    o  4  o 

Half  crown o  2  6 

Florin o  2  o 

Shilling o  i  i 

Sixpence o  o  6 

Fourpence o  o  4 

Threepence 003 

Twopence o  o  2 

Penny-halfpenny o  o  i^ 

Nickel  Coins — 

Penny o  o  i 

Half-penny o  o  oj 

Farthing o  o  o£ 


Accounts  are  kept  in  £  s.  d. 

Weights  and  measures   are  the  same  as  those  used 
in  Great  Britain. 


Exchange,   Coins,  Etc.  229 

American  money  passes  everywhere  in  business. 
The  paper  currency  of  the  island  consists  of  the  notes 
of  the  Colonial  bank.  There  is  a  nickel  currency  of 
pence  and  halfpence. 


CONCLUSION. 


THERE  have  been  many  things  necessarily  omitted 
from  this  little  work.  Matters  that  we  had  planned 
to  discuss,  data  which  it  is  difficult  not  to  think  quite 
as  important  as  much  that  we  have  published.  Our 
omissions  have  been  unavoidable ;  indeed,  to  have 
fully  exhausted  our  note  books  and  sources  of  infor- 
mation would  require  not  one  such  volume  as  this,  but 
twenty. 

We  abandon  our  purpose  of  furnishing  a  chapter  on 
folk  lore  with  a  sigh,  and  regret  the  shelving  of  much 
entertaining  material  on  the  still  potent  superstition  of 
obiaism.  Only  briefly  and  unsatisfactorily  have  we 
touched  the  subject  of  education ;  its  advance  ami 
power  in  Jamaica  demand  more  space  then  we  could 
give  it.  But  if  we  begin  the  catalogue  of  our  delin- 
quencies, where  will  they  end?  We  must  leave  them 
to  our  critics,  hoping  that  they  will  find  in  this  book, 
even  in  its  incompleteness,  the  evidence  of  honest  pur- 
pose and  a  measure  of  fulfilment. 


INDEX 


A. 

ABOLITION,  its  effect  on  labor  sup- 
ply, 1 8. 

Aborigines  slain,  2. 

Accounts,  228. 

Accompong  town,  121. 

Adderly,  Sir  A.  J.,  190. 

Age  of  gold  at  commencement  of 
present  century,  15. 

Agriculture  depressed,  21. 

Agua  Alta,  170. 

Air  Pines,  115. 

Albemarle,  Duke  of,  appointed,  10. 

Albemarle,  political  differences,  10. 

Albion  estate,  120,  133. 

American  Hotel,  Constant  Spring, 
125. 

American  Money,  229. 

American  population  in  Portland, 
149. 

Amity  Cave,  201. 

Anchor  line  steamers,  216 ;  stopping 
place  at  Kingston,  216;  shipping 
ports,  217. 

Port  Royal,  ancient  landmarks  ob- 
literated in,  69. 

Angels,  the  first  terminus  of  rail- 
way, 82. 

Arfnotto  Bay,  84,  167 ;  its  chances, 
.174;  coolies  at,  167;  market  at, 


169 ;    its   size    and    importance, 

170. 

Ants,  their  numbers,  no. 
Ants  and  ant  citadels,  109,  no. 
Ants  introduced,  no. 
Architecture  of  dwellings,  93. 
Asiatic  cholera,  21. 
Atlas    Company,     136,     157,    212; 

steamships,    213,    214;    peculiar 

advantages,  214. 

B. 

BACK  WATER,  Golden  Vale,  1 56. 
Bacon,  John,  his  statue  of  Rodney, 

'5- 

Baker,  Capt.  L  D.,  149,  152. 

Bananas,  how  shipped,  139,  in- 
creased shipments,  45 ;  lands  and 
prices,  181 ;  quantity  shipped 
from  Jamaica,  42 ;  their  destina- 
tion, 42;  walk,  114;-  flower,  114; 
plants,  their  manner  of  growth, 

*53- 

Banks,  62. 

Bank  of  Nova  Scotia,  228. 

Banyan  tree  at  Roaring  River,  178. 

Bays  and  harbors,  x. 

Bamboo  fibre,  42. 

Bartholomew,  first  buccaneer,  7. 

Battery  of  the  Apostles,  92. 


232 


fndex. 


Bath,  131,  141,  143;  tropical  char- 
acter  of  country,  140;  road  to 
Manchioneal,  145. 

Beeston,  Sir  William,  12. 

Beggars,  65. 

Benbow,  Admiral,  died  in  Kingston, 
12. 

Bellevue,  120. 

Black  lands,  210. 

Black  River,  81,  121 ;  bamboo 
works,  42;  approach  to,  202; 
lodgings  at,  202;  Waterloo  Ho- 
tel, 203  ;  road  leaving,  203. 

Blake,  Sir  Henry  Arthur,  xi.,  97. 

Blake,  Sir  Henry  A.  and  Lady, 
residence  at  Craigton,  99. 

Blackwoods,  quoting  article,  132. 

Blue  fields,  201. 

Blue  Hole,  176. 

Blue  Mountain  Peaks,  34,  36 ;  seen 
from  Castleton  road,  101. 

Blue  Water,  147. 

Boards,  municipal  and  road,  x. 

Bog  Walk,  84. 

Bolas,  Juan  de,  6. 

Booty  taken  to  Port  Royal,  67. 

Bourbon  cane,  introduction  of,  17. 

Bowden,  136, 137,  139. 

Boston  Fruit  Company,  136,  152, 
1 57, 2 1 5 ;  steamers,  1 59 ;  its  young 
men,  162  ;  properties  of  the,  158; 
Espent,  Hon.  W.  Bancroft  leased 
estates  to,  158;  shipping  places, 
158. 

Buccaneers,  7 ;  used  caves  for  ren- 
dezvous, 123. 

Buff  Bay,  167,  210. 

Bull  Head,  210. 

Burke,  Hon.  Samuel  C.,  32. 


Bus  hire  and  car  fare,  65. 

Brafiliano,  took  valuable  prizes,  7. 

Brayne,  Colonel,  appointed  by 
Cromwell,  5. 

Brayne  died,  5. 

Bridges,  122,  223. 

Bridge  over  Dry  River,  223. 

Bridges  on  Castleton  road,  105. 

Brooks'  Hotel,  Mandeville,  207. 

Brownstown,  the  commercial  clear- 
ing house  for  district,  188;  public 
buildings,  188 ;  road,  character  of 
foliage,  etc.,  184;  and  Falmouth 
road,  188;  its  appearance,  187; 
and  vicinity,  the  water  supply,  36. 

Brown,  Mrs.,  lodgings,  148. 

C. 

CABLE  rates,  221. 

Campbell,  R.  B.,  85. 

Campeche,  sacked  by  Scott,  7. 

Canada,  her  appreciation  of  com- 
mercial conditions,  45 ;  her  sugar 
imports,  43;  increased  exports 
to  Jamaica,  44. 

Capital,  chance  for  investment, 
79 ;  invested  in  railway,  82. 

Carlisle,  Earl  of,  summoned  a  new 
assembly,  10. 

Castleton,  224;  gardens  and  the 
Wag  Water,  94 ;  interest  of  the 
Wag,  description  of  the  garden, 
distance  from  Kingston,  105,  101. 

Cathedral  at  Spanish  Town,  88. 

Catherine  peak,  120. 

Catholic  Church  in  old  Port  Royal, 
68. 

Cane,  acreage  in,  132 ;  falling  off 
during  last  decade,  132. 


Index. 


233 


Cave  river«s,  121. 
Caverns  of  St.  Ann's,  183.  ' 
Caves,  123;  at  Port  Henderson,  91. 
Constant  Spring  Hotel,  35. 
Charming,  anti-slavery  resolutions, 

Chapelton,  210. 

Charles  II,  accession  to  the  throne  5. 

Chelsea  pier,  127. 

Church,  disestablished,  xi.,  28 ;  of 
England,  66,  223. 

Cinchona,  first  planted  on  Blue 
Mountain,  27,  30,  224. 

Civil  establishment,  x. 

Clarendon,  210. 

Climate,  35,  126,  127. 

Clyde  Line,  215. 

Cocoanut,  growing  and  picking,  162. 

Coast  line,  118. 

Cockpit  country,  81,  210. 

Coins,  228. 

Coke,  Hon.  Wm.  Harriott,  32. 

Columbus,  discovered  by,  i  ;  duke- 
dom, 86. 

Columbus,  Duke  of  St.  Jago,  2. 

Columbus,  his  description  of  Ja- 
maica Mountains,  98. 

Columbus,  subsequent  landing,  i. 

Colonial  Bank,  62 ;  currency,  229. 

Coffee  planting,  144. 

Colonial  militia  defeated  the  French, 

12. 

Commercial  circles :  tone  of  thought 
American,  42. 

Commission  of  inquiry,  23  •  its  re- 
port, 24. 

Committees  to  represent  the  Ja- 
maica exhibition  in  foreign 
countries,  49. 


Comparative  size  of  Jamaica,  119. 

Constant  Spring,  94  ;  hotel,  209 ; 
its  charges  and  accommodations, 
100;  on  the  road  to  Castleton, 
101  ;  stream,  116. 

Constitutional  change,  32. 

Constitution,  new,  ordered  in  1884 
by  Her  Majesty,  33. 

Consumption  of  manufactures  in 
Jamaica,  46.  0 

Convicts,  127. 

Coolies,  introduction  of,  21 ;  immi- 
gration revived,  27 ;  how  they 
compare  with  the  negroes,  99; 
settlement  near  Gordon  Town, 
99;  women,  58,  75. 

Corinaldi,  Mr.,  U.  S.  Consular 
agent  at  Montego  Bay,  193. 

Council,  writs  issued  for,  6. 

Counties,  number  and  names,  ix. 

Courts,  x. 

Coward's  and  Queensbury  ridges, 
120. 

Creole,  74;  fear  of  black  men,  20. 

Cromwell,  2,  5,  67. 

Cross,  the,  near  Annotto  Bay,  170. 

Craigton,  summer  residence  of  Gov- 
ernor and  Lady  Blake,  99. 

Cultivation  of  mountain  slopes,  112. 

Cumberland  Pen,  75. 

Cuna  Cuna  pass,  143;  pass,  from 
the  north  side,  161. 

Custom  House  regulations,  226. 

Custos  of  St.  Thomas,  killed  in 
Morant  Bay  Court  House,  135. 

D. 

DAVIS,  REV.  MR.,  198. 
Davis,  Richard,  125. 


234 


Index. 


Davis,  John,  expeditions  to  Nica- 
ragua, 7. 

Death  rate,  40. 

Derby,  Lord,  dispatch  from,  32. 

Destruction  of  roads,  29, 

Dialect,  109,  114. 

Deficit  in  treasury,  1865,  27- 

Discovery  of  Jamaica,  i. 

Dissenting  ministers,  charged  with 
incendiary  conduct,  21. 

District  of  Vere,  210. 

Doctor,  the,  the  sea  breeze,  34,  55. 

Dolphin  Head,  199. 

Don  Sasi,  175. 

D'Oyley,  4,  86 ;  third  term,  5 ;  re- 
lieved by  Sedjwick,  5 ;  succeeded 
in  subduing  slaves,  5. 

Dress  of  peasant  women,  94. 

Dry  Harbor,  i,  183;  landing  place 
of  Columbus,  175;  mountains  of 
St.  Ann,  36. 

Duffy,  Mrs.,  141,  143. 

Du  Grasse,  86. 

Duty,  import  on  corn  food,  20. 

E. 

EARTHQUAKES,  the,  n. 

Easington,  131. 

Eastern   Portland :    its   abandoned 

estates,  147. 
Education,  system  of :  established, 

29. 

Effingham,  arms,  93. 
Elgin,  Countess  of,  93. 
Electric  light,  62. 
Elections   under  new  constitution, 

33- 
Elletson  succeeded  Lyttleton,  14. 


Emancipation,  17 ;  condition  of 
planters,  18. 

Esquimel,  Don  Pedro  de,  191. 

Esquivel,  Don  Juan,  179. 

Estates  mortgaged  and  abandoned, 
1 8. 

Estes,  Wm.  R.,  U.  S.  Consul,  con- 
ducted services  on  decoration  day, 
98. 

Evaporation  of  rivers,  122. 

Ewarton,  8,  171. 

Exports,  total  in  1888-89,  43. 

Exports  increased  in  1890,  45. 

Extravagance  in  Port  Royal,  9. 

Eyre's  acts,  23,  32. 

Eyre,  Edward  John,  governor,  22, 
143 ;  refusal  of  government  to 
reinstate  him,  25;  his  influence 
on  legislation  relating  to  surren- 
der of  liberties,  25 ;  informed  of 
the  outrage,  23. 

Exhibition,  architecture  of  build- 
ing, 48,  62,  93;  exhibits,  ar- 
rangement of  groups,  etc.,  50; 
artificial  lake,  51 ;  Austria's  ap- 
plication for  exhibition  space,  50 ; 
Austrian  exhibit,  52 ;  available 
space  in  main  exhibition  building, 
51  ;  English  P.  O.  exhibit,  52 ; 
Electric  Railway,  etc.,  51  ;  local 
fairs,  52,  53;  outdoor  space,  51  ; 
pavilion  for  special  exhibits,  51  ; 
peasantry,  misunders  t  a  n  d  i  n  g 
about  the  purpose  of  the  exhibi- 
tion, 50;  Quebec  Lodge  chosen 
as  site  for  exhibition,  48 ;  West 
India  Islands  at  the  exhibition, 
52 ;  Annex  decided  on  in  Sep- 
tember, 51. 


Index. 


F. 

FAIRY  HILL,  146. 
Falmouth,  190;  business,   192;  it 
population,     191 ;    public    builc 
ings,  192  ;  water  supply,  192. 
Fawcett,    Mr.    William,    presente 
proposition    for   holding   exhib 
tion,  47. 
Fertilizers :   their   first   use    in    Si 

Ann's  Bay,  181. 
Fever  line,  the,  39. 
First  impressions,  56- 
Fish  River,  199. 
Floods,  29. 

Florence,  sch.,  detention  of,  31. 
Flint  River,  171. 
Foliage  and  garden  plants,  94. 
Folly  Point,  lighthouse,  148. 
Food  supply,  46. 
Foreign  population :   their  comfort 

in  living,  55. 
Fort  Charlotte,  197. 
P>enchmen,  their  increase,  19. 
Free     trade,    18;     its    diminished 
chances  for  profiting  sugar-grow- 
ing, 18. 

Froude,  Anthony,  207. 
Fruit  growing,  117. 
Fruit  growing  and  other  blessings, 

135- 
Fruit,  prices,  etc,,  46. 

G. 

GALDY,  LEWIS,  92. 

Gamble,  Governor :  promises  made 

by  crown,  32. 

General  Assembly,  first  held,  6. 
Geology,  a  problem,  118. 


Geology  (Sawkin's),  119. 
Golden  Vale,  first  view,  152;  Coolie 
laborers  at,  155;  wages  at,  155; 
copper  mine,  157;  its  cultivation, 
154;  school  at,  154;  its  output  of 
fruit,  152 

Gordon,      George     William,     his 
birth,  22  ;  an  agitator,  22  ;  refer- 
ence to  his  execution,  26;   tried 
by  court-martial,  and  hanged,  23. 
Gordon  Town,  distance  from  King- 
ston, 99. 
Gosse,  the  naturalist,  201. 
Governor  Eyre,  surrender  of  con- 
stitutional rights,  61. 
Government  offices,  233. 
Government  (present),  x. 
Government,  the,    tendered  to  the 

crown,  26. 
Grant,  Sir  J.  P.,  appointed  governor, 
27;  confiscated  goods  landed  in 
Jamaica,  28 ;   superseded  by  Sir 
William  Gray,  29. 
>ay,  Sir   William,  superseded  Sir 

J.  P.  Grant,  29. 

Great   Britain  :  her  supplies  to  Ja- 
maica, 46. 
Green  Bay,  92. 
Green  Island,  199. 
Guarantee  fund  for  the  .exhibition, 

49. 

Guarantors  of  the  fund  for  the  ex- 
hibition :  Messrs.   Ward,  Verley 
and  Stiebel,  49. 
uerney,  Mr.  Russell,  24. 

H. 

HALF-WAY  Tree:  the  church,   98; 
the   cross  road,  99;  the   return. 


236 


Index. 


209;  road,  64,  94,  48 ;  the  village 

97- 
Hall,  Mr.  Maxwell,  F.   R.    A.    S. 

account  of  rainfall,  38;  intimate 

knowledge      of      meteorologica 

conditions,  38. 
Harrison,  Col.,  buried  at  Half-way 

Tree.      Decoration  day  services 

over  his  grave,  98. 
Harvey,  Hon.  Thos.  Lloyd,  32. 
Healthshire  Hills,  77,  91. 
Heat  in  Jamaica,  34. 
Hector's  River,  121. 
Heliconia  Charitonia,  no. 
Hermitage,  162. 
Hills,  the,  107,  in,  113. 
Hispaniola,  10. 
Hitchins,  Captain,  135. 
Honduras  and  C.  A.  Co.,  214. 
Hope  Gardens    High    School   for 

boys,  etc.,  TOO. 
Hope  nurseries,  225, 
Hope  River,  129. 
Hotels  Law,  211. 
Hotel  Rio  Cobre,  93. 
Houses     in    Jamaica :    how     con- 
structed, 34. 
Hunter,     Major-General      Robert 

informed  himself  about  Jamaica, 

13,  salary  increased,  13. 
Hurricane,  12. 


I. 


ICE,  its  manufacture,  62. 
Immigration  debt,  transfer,  29. 
Imports  and  exports,  table  of,  43. 
Inchequin,   Earl    of,    took    charge 

of      affairs:       retaliated      upon 

French,  10. 


Innis'  Bay,  146. 
Insurance  Companies,  40. 
Island  Head,  137. 
Ipswich,  81. 

Iron  cage  used  for  hanging  con- 
demned victims,  60. 

J- 

JACKSON  ;  attacked  Jamaica,  2. 
Jackson:      extorted      ransom       of 

Spanish  Town,  3. 
Jamaica     as     a     sanitarium,     41 ; 

called     on     to     assist     England 

against    South    American    ports, 

13- 
Jamaica  Fruit   Co.,   150;  industry, 

effect  of  emancipation  upon    it, 

17;     railway,     64;      Spa,      143; 

Tramway  Co.,  streets  on    which 

the  cars  run,  64. 
James  II.,  flight  of,  10. 
John  Crow,  buzzard,  55. 
John  Crow  Hills,  146. 
John  Crow  Mountains,  123. 
Johnstone,  Dr.  James,  36. 
Johnstone,  Dr.  Jas.,  187. 

K. 

KEMPSHOT  observatory,  its  loca- 
tion, altitude,  etc.,  38. 

Kerr,  J.  E.,  &  Co.,  180,  194,  215; 
headquarters  at  Montego  Bay,  195. 

Kingston,  77  ;  and  Liguanea  water 
works,  100;  corporate  name,  xi. ; 
distance  to  Half-way  Tree,  93 ; 
distance  to  Hope,  225;  estab- 
lished, 12;  wharves,  66;  sail 
boats,  66;  harbor,  67;  water  sup- 


Index. 


237 


ply,  61 ;  parish  church,  62  ;  street 
cars,  29 ;  fires,  61  ;  fire,  its  ex- 
tent, 31 ;  gas  in,  62 ;  government 
removed  to,  28 ;  harbor,  distance 
from  Quebec  Lodge,  48;  hos- 
pital, 62;  its  shops,  clothing, 
books,  food  supplies,  prices,  65  ; 
its  hotels  and  lodging-houses,  66 ; 
its  approaches,  64;  its  impor- 
tance, 61 ;  its  population,  61 ;  its 
distance  from  Stony  Hill,  103 ;  its 
mean  temperature,  39 ;  its  cli- 
mate, 34;  its  outskirts,  35;  King 
street,  60. 

Kingston  library,  223;  meeting  of 
gentlemen  with  Governor  Blake 
to  discuss  exhibition,  47 ;  on  the 
Liguanea  plain,  62 ;  original 
form  of,  60. 

Kingston's  places  of  worship,  66; 
Queen  street,  60;  seen  across 
bay  from  Port  Royal,  71. 

King's  house,  97. 

Knowles,  Governor,  burned  in 
effigy,  14. 

Knockalva,  199. 

L. 

LABOR  question  discussed  by  Mr. 
Solomon,  180;  wages:  compared 
with  those  of  U.  S.  or  England, 
65. 

Laborers  length  of  working  day,  45. 

Lacovia,  203. 

Lady  Blake  :  influence  of  her  taste 
at  King's  house,  97. 

La  Have  captured  by  Spanish  man- 
of-war,  28. 

Lakes,  123. 


Land  slides,  in,  119. 

Latitude  of  Jamaica,  ix. 

Lawes,  Sir  Nicholas,  buried  at 
Half-way  Tree  church,  12,  98. 

Lawrence,  Mrs.,  at  Malvern,  204. 

Legislative  council,  x. 

Length  of  Jamaica,  ix-. 

Lethe  estate,  81. 

Levy,  Mr.,  at  Brownstown,  188. 

Letters  of  marque  granted  to  pi- 
rates by  Moddingford,  7. 

License,required  of  retail  dealers,2O. 

Light  houses,  225. 

Life  Assurance  Companies,  62. 

Liguanea  Plain,  the,  101. 

Luidas  Vale,  211. 

Liguanea  water  works,  101. 

Lilly,  Colonel  Christian,  laid  out 
Kingston,  12. 

Livingstone,  98. 

Long  Bay,  200. 

Long  Mountain,  127,  129. 

Logwood,  78. 

Lowayton,  extinct  volcano,  164. 

Lost  Rivers,  113. 

Lover's  leap,  205. 

Lucea,  leaving  the  town,  198. 

Lucea,  how  situated,  harbor  ap- 
proaches, etc.,  197. 

Lunatic  asylum,  127, 

Lyttleton,  Governor,  6;  brought 
news  of  war,  14 ;  grants  of  land 
to  maroons,  6;  succeeded  by  El- 
letson,  14. 

M. 

MACHINERY,  need  of,  79. 
Malvern,  distances   from  principal 
points,  204. 


Index. 


Manchester,  Duke  of,  mutiny 
among  troops,  16. 

Manchester  saw  mill,  45 ;  upper 
205 ;  deathrate  in,  206 ;  sanitary 
conditions,  206. 

Manchioneal  lodging,  145. 

Manchioneal,  road  from  Bath,  145. 

Mandeville,  8,  203 ;  the  road  to 
it  from  the  west,  207. 

Mangoes,  116,  117. 

Mansvelt,  8;  took  St.  Cather- 
ine's, 7. 

Manteca  Bay,  195. 

Manufactories,  42,  45;  staples   of, 

45- 
Half-way  Tree,  market  at,  98. 

Marine  hospital,  no  other  one  for 
years  than  that  at  Port  Royal,  70. 

Maroons,  5,  13,  137 ;  aided  white 
troops  and  volunteers,  23;  out- 
break, 1795,  15;  their  privileges, 
161  ;  war,  13;  warfare,  hiding  in 
caverns,  123. 

Marriage  law  revised,  30. 

Martha  Brae  River,  190. 

Martial  law,  14. 

Martial  law  proclaimed  in  1865,  23. 

Martyr,  Peter,  183. 

Maule,  Mr.  J.  B.,  24. 

May  Pen,  80,  209. 

Machete,  the  use  of,  22. 

Mechanic's  wages,  46. 

Medicinal  trees  and  herbs,  105. 

Melilla,  2,  86,  190. 

Morant  River,  137, 

Metcalfe,  Sir  Charles,  succeeded  in 
restoring  peace,  18. 

Metropolis  of  West  Indies,  68. 


Middlesex,  81. 

Milk  River  Bath,  142,210. 

Mizpah,  205. 

Moddiford  made  governor,  6,  9. 

Mona  Vale,  cane  fields,  101. 

Moneague,  178. 

Money  orders,  220. 

Montego  Bay,  81,  193;  its  com- 
merce, 195;  population,  194;  the 
road  from,  199. 

Montego  River,  122. 

Moodie,  Gov.,  representative  of  Ja- 
maica Fruit  Co.,  150,  160. 

Moore  Town,  144,  161. 

Moraine  on  Bath  road,  141. 

Morant  Bay,  131 ;  accommodations, 
134;  tragedy,  134;  court-house, 
fight  at,  23. 

Morgan  and  Bartholomew,  67. 

Morgan,  Henry,  7 ;  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, 9;  succeeds  Mansvelt,  8; 
knighted,  9:  foe  of  pirates,  9. 

Morgan,  Sir  Edward,  dismissed 
assembly,  6. 

Mountains  of  Jamaica,  their  curi- 
ous appearance,  99. 

Mount  Diabolo,  210. 

Mouth  River,  190. 

Museum  and  library,  59. 

Mural  tablets  in  Port  Royal  church, 
69. 

Musgrave,  Earl  of,  governor,  16, 
82,  29;  his  retirement,  31  ;  party 
to  disagreement,  31  ;  suggested 
creation  of  office  of  collector  gen 
eral,  31. 

Mutiny  among  troops,  1 6. 

Myrtle  Bank,  66. 


Index. 


239 


N. 

NANNY  TOWN,  137. 

Nassau  Mountains,  204. 

Navy  Island,  Port  Antonio,  148. 

Negril's  River,  igg. 

Negro  outbreak  in  Havana,  14. 

Nelson,  14. 

New  Castle,  91-99- 

Nicaragua  exhibition,  1 5. 

Nicaragua  taken  by  John  Davis,  7. 

Noel,  Mrs.,  133. 

Norman  Market,  187. 

Norman,  Sir  Henry  W.,  governor 

in  1884 ;  crown  promises  carried 

into  effect,  32. 
Nurseries  at  Castleton,  105. 


O. 


OCHO  Rios,  175. 
Old  Harbor,  209. 
Old  Joe,  56. 
One  Eye  River,  121. 
Opening   for    young    men    in    Ja- 
maica, 163,  164. 

Ora  Cabessa  River,  i,  i73>  r74- 
Oranges,  78. 
Orchids   and   orchidaceous  plants, 

US- 
Order  in  Council,  by  Her  Majesty 

relating  to  new  constitution,  33. 
Oristan,  2,  86,  201. 
Oxford,  121. 

P. 

PANAMA  attacked  by  Morgan,   8. 
Paradise  Town,    126. 
Park  Lodge,   66. 


Passage  Fort  taken  by  Col.  Jackson, 

2,92. 

Payne,  Mr.  193. 
Peasant  women,  94. 
Peasant  proprietors,  152. 
Pedro  plains,  204;  Bluff,  204. 
Penn,  Admiral,  invasion  of  Jamaica 

by,3,4»9*- 

Penn    and   Venables,  their  squad- 
ron anchored  in  Kingston  harbor, 

67. 

'hillippo,  Dr.  James  Cecil,  40,  32., 

'ineapples,  116,  115. 

3icaroons,  12. 
Pirates,  7. 

Plantain  Garden  River,  122,  144. 
Plants,  economic,  105. 

Plants,  poisonous,  108. 
Plant  system,  215. 
Planters,  indebtedness,  18. 
Poll  tax  on  cattle  reimposed,  29. 
Population,  eighteenth  century,  15. 
Port  Antonio,  82,  84,  146,  15°- 
Port  Henderson,  91. 

Portland,  146. 

Port  Maria,  i,  170,  171,  172,  173. 

Port  Morant,  131,  136,  137,  140. 

Porto  Bello,  14. 

Port  Patrick,  5. 

Port  Royal,  12, 92  ;  harbor  defences, 
71;  military  works,  71;  swal- 
lowed by  earthquakes,  II ;  wealth 
brought  by  freebooters,  8; 
wharves  destroyed,  n. 

Porus,  8p,  81. 

Postal  rates,  219. 

Ponds,  123. 

Priestman's  River,  146. 


240 


Index. 


Products  of  Spanish  River  country, 

165. 

Public  buildings,  223. 
Public    meetings  in  Kingston  and 

elsewhere,  32. 
Public  works,  222. 
Puerto  Bueno,  I. 
Puerto  Saneta  Maria,  172. 

Q- 
QUEEN'S  warehouses,  227. 

R. 

RAILWAY,  73,  217  ;  where  its  course 
lies,  73  ;  its  purpose,  74  ;  station, 
Kingston,  74;  similar  to  Eng- 
lish roads,  74 ;  extension  to 
Porus,  84 ;  company,  when  incor- 
porated, 82 ;  government  pur- 
chase of,  84 ;  its  transfer,  84 ;  a 
means  of  making  produce  mar- 
ketable, 78. 

Rainfall  at  Hope,  225. 

Rains,  more  or  less  violent,  ac- 
cording to  locality,  37;  to  be 
expected  in  January,  37 ;  their 
limited  area,  38. 

Ramshorn  Ridge,  the,  101. 

Rates  of  carriage  and  horse  hire, 
217. 

Rates  of  exchange,  228. 

Reformatory  at  Stony  Hill,  104. 

Register  of  vessels  in  1889,  43. 

Revenue,  sources,  etc.,  226. 

Removal  of  seat  of  government 
from  Spanish  Town,  62. 

Rio  Cobre  canal,  29,  77,  78,  93, 
224. 

Rio  Bueno  Bay,  189. 


Rio  Bueno,  the,  188. 

Rio  d'Oro,  81,  171. 

Rio  Grande,  144,  151;  advantages 
of  its  neighborhood,  152;  from 
ridge  at  Golden  Vale,  156. 

Rio  Nuevo,  174. 

Rio  Nuevo  Bay,  174. 

Rivers,  their  sudden  rising,  151. 

Roads  between  Annotto  Bay,  Kings- 
ton, and  other  points,  171. 

Roads,  cost  of  working,  140;  their 
excellence,  222. 

Roaring  cave,  201. 

Roaring  River,  175;  falls,  176,  177. 

Robb,  Rev.  Alex.,  D.  D.  on  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  climate,  41. 

Rock  fort,  127,  128. 

Rock  fort,  129. 

Rodney,  Admiral,  won  victory  over 
DuCasse,  15. 

Rodney,  Admiral,  86;  his  lookout, 
92;  statue  by  John  Bacon,  15, 
87  ;  removed  and  restored,  87. 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  58,  59. 

Royal  African  Company,  their 
charter,  9. 

Royal  Mail  Co.,  215. 

Roy,  Miss,  207. 

Rum,  shipments  to  England,  43. 

Runaway  Bay,  175. 

S. 

SALT  POND,  133. 

Santiago  de  la  Vega,  6. 

Santa  Cruz  Mountains,  203 ; 
Square,  203. 

Savana  la  Mar  built  on  a  plain,  14, 
199,  200;  its  importance  as  a 
seaport,  200;  its  beauty,  201. 


Index. 


241 


Savilia,  2. 

Solomon,  Hon.  Michael,  180. 

Scott,  Lewis,  buccaneer,  landed 
force  on  Spanish  territory,  7. 

Scholarship  founded,  30. 

Schools,  223. 

Secret  gold  mine  of  the  Spaniards, 
191. 

Sedjvvick,  5. 

Seven  mile  hill,  205. 

Seville,  86. 

Sevilla  d'Oro,  179. 

Shirley,  3. 

Shooter's  Hill,  81. 

Silver  Spring,  99. 

Sink  hole  in  John  Crow  Mountains, 
123. 

Sink  River,  the,  188. 

Sir  Anthony  Shirley,  attacked 
island,  2. 

Slaves,  importation  of,  15;  insur- 
rection in  St.  Mary,  14;  mortality 
among,  16 ;  overworked,  19 ; 
treatment  of,  16;  ships,  16; 
uprising,  1832,  20;  trade  at- 
tained highest  pitch,  16;  trade 
interfered  with  by  Royal  African 
Company,  lo. 

Sligo,  Lord,  18. 

Sloane,  Sir  Hans,  37 ;  naturalist, 
came  with  Albemarle,  10. 

Small-pox,  29. 

Solomon,  Hon.  Michael,  32. 

Spaniards,  cruelty,  2. 

Spaniards  driven  from  Ireland,  4. 

Spanish  governor,  last  fled  to 
Cuba,  3. 

Spanish  River,  165. 

Spanish  Town,   2,   15,  77,80,  86; 


ransom  extorted  by  Jackson,  3 ; 
repaired,  2;  roads,  93,  64;  first 
assembly  held,  6 ;  seat  of  govern- 
ment removed  from,  28 ,-  watched 
by  Rodney,  87  ;  return  to,  209. 

Spanish  Governor,  91. 

Square  miles,  119? 

Stamp  duty  on  transfer  of  small 
parcels  of  land,  20. 

St.  Andrew,  120. 

St.  Andrews,  elevation,  35. 

St.  Ann's  Bay,  174;  the  town,  179; 
road,  178;  communication  \vith 
the  U.  S.,  179;  market,  182;  Ja- 
maica's garden,  174. 

St.  Catherine,  77,  81. 

Steamers  and  sailing  vessels  arriv- 
ing in  1888-89,  43. 

St.  Elizabeth,  202,  203. 

Stewart  Town,  188. 

Stiebel,  Mr.  Geo.,  32. 

St.  James'  Parish,  195. 

St.  Jago  de  la  Vega,  2  ;  burned,  2 ; 
treasure  removed,  3  ;  attacked  by 
Penn.  3. 

Storks,  Sir  Henry,  knight,  24;  re- 
port of  the  commission,  26. 

Stony  Hill,  94,  103 ;  its  picturesque- 
ness,  101. 

Streams,  their  frequency,  120. 

St.  Thomas,  131. 

St.  Thomas  in  the  Vale,  31,  175. 

St.  Thomas  in  the  East,  its  custos 
and  vestry  killed,  23,  120,  134. 

St.  Davids,  131. 

Subterranean  streams  and  lakes, 
183. 

Sugar,  duty  on,  18 ;  cane  fields  at 
Mona  seen  from  Stony  Hill,  101 ; 


242 


Index. 


first  shipment,  9  ;  production  of, 
18 ;  ruin  at  Constant  Spring  109; 
shipments,  42  ;  staple  of  manufac- 
tures, 45. 

Surinamese  Dutchmen  immigrated 
to  the  island,  9. 

Surrey  County,  146. 

Swift  River,  162. 

T. 

TAX  on  sugar  and  coffee,  20. 

Taxes  to  which  negroes  were  sub- 
jected, 21. 

Telegraph  system,  220. 

Temperature,  average  in  the  island, 
36;  varies  with  the  altitude,  36; 
of  Jamaica,  38. 

Temperance,  the  necessity  for,  39. 

Three-fingered  Jack,  136. 

Tidal  wave  at  Savana  la  Mar,  200. 

Timber  lands,  120. 

Titchfield,  old  name  for  Port  An- 
tonio, 148. 

Titchfield  trust,  149. 

Tom  Cringle's  tree,  209. 

Topography,  34,  118,  119. 

Tragedy  of  October,  1865,  134. 

Tram  cars,  62,  218;  from  Kingston 
to  Half-way  Tree,  98. 

Transportation,  212. 

Trelawney,  82,  137 ;  earthquake  of 
1744,  14;  Governor,  made  peace 
with  Maroons,  13. 

U. 

UNITED  KINGDOM,  banana  im- 
ports, 42. 

United  States,  banana  imports,  42; 
increased  exports  to  Jamaica,  44 ; 


planters'  threat  to  unite  with,  16  • 
the,  their  trade  with  Jamaica,  46. 

United  States  of  Columbia  as  a 
trade  correspondent,  44. 

Up-park  camp,  93. 

V. 

VAUGHN,  Governor,  recalled  bucca- 
neers' commissions,  9. 

Vauxhall,  81. 

Vegetation,  tropical  plants  in  the 
hills,  107. 

Venables,  Colonel,  91  ;  with  Ad- 
miral Penn,  3. 

Vickers,  Hon.  Wm.,  32. 

Victoria  Institute,  30. 

Victoria  market,  62. 

Volunteer  corps,  135. 

Volcano,  extinct,  123. 

Valleys,  narrow,  cultivated,  ill. 

Vosper,  Mrs.,  198. 

W. 

WAGE  question,  144. 
Wagonette  Company,  208,  217. 
Water-works,    Kingston    and     Li- 

guanea,  100. 
Watson,  Mrs.,    Inn,    180;    Taylor, 

Hon.  Arthur,  32. 
Wag  Water,  104,  170. 
Wealth  brought  by  buccaneers,  1 5. 
Weights  and  measures,  228. 
Wilberforce,  17. 
Windsor,   encouraged  pirating,   6 ; 

followed   by  Lyttleton,  6;  Lord. 

appointed  by  Charles  II.,  5. 
Windward  Road,  126. 
Wentworth,  162, 


Index. 


243 


Wessels,  E.  J.,  181 ,  on  bananas, 
180,  181 ;  line,  157 ;  steamships, 
214. 

Wesson,  Mr.  Fred'k,  84. 

Westmoreland,  199,  200 ;  its  prod- 
ucts, 201. 

White  River,  175. 

William  and  Mary,  10. 

W.  I.  and  Panama  Telegraph  Co. 
221. 


Woodland,  method  of  clearing,  78. 
Working   committees  of  the  exhi- 
bition 48. 

Y. 

YALLAHS,  131  ;    Bay.  131 ;  River. 

W*  133- 
Yellow  Jack,  70. 
York  Castle,  178. 
Y.  S.  River,  203. 


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